Story of my Life
by jibitapat
Summary: Being a son of a mercenary isn't easy. So is hiking up this steep hill everyday to get to school. But I guess what's harder is getting used to this out of the world club. YuixOC MioxOC. A bit of a Haruhi crossover.
1. Intro

**Author's note: Hello, and welcome to my first ever story.**

**Firstly, this is not a standard, happy K-ON! fic. There are no 'cute girls doing cute things' or something like that. What I'm aiming for is kind of a bit like Full Metal Panic: a bit of humor, romance, action, drama, and friendship. But of course, the main genre is romance.  
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**Secondly, this fic is set in the universe of Haruhi Suzumiya. So the school is North High, not an all-girls school. But please do note that Haruhi had nothing to do with the main storyline. Her and the SOS Brigade will make an appearance for side stories.**

**And lastly, this fic will be focused on the character development of my OC. The story will be mostly told from his perspective.  
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**That said, please enjoy the story. And if you have the time, please do review.**

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><p>4:30 am. The sound of the alarm from my phone could be heard. This was the usual time I woke up to go to school. I dismissed the alarm and got up from my bed, blinking my eyes a few times to clear my vision. The room was still dark, with the lights turned off.<p>

People said that when it's your first day in high school, you'd feel way more excited than anything that goes on in your life. To me, there was nothing different. It'd be just the same as before, boring classes, boring people, and so on.

Or maybe that's just me. Hell, I don't care.

I walked to the living room to do my morning exercises. Push-ups, sit-ups, you name it.

The lonely atmosphere in my house was something I'm getting used to. I have always been alone since 7th grade.

After being done with my exercises, I went to the kitchen to make some breakfast and coffee. The breakfast was nothing special, just an omelet with rice. That alone should be enough to maintain my energy until noon. Once done with my breakfast, I took a sip of my coffee and lit a cigarette. I know what you're thinking, a high school freshman shouldn't be smoking. Well, life's not really friendly with me for quite some time, so smoking was one way to smooth things out.

It was 5:30 when I was done with my coffee and cigarette. I went upstairs to the bathroom to take a shower, and changed my clothes to my newly obtained uniform. It consisted of a blue blazer, a white long sleeved shirt, a tie and a pair of pants. On the blazer's front pocket there was the logo of the school, kind of looked like the letter 'M' in lower case. I wasn't really a tidy man in fashion, so I didn't bother to tuck my shirt in and left the blazer unbuttoned.

I took a glance in the mirror to make sure I was presentable enough. The reflection of a man stared back at me. This man, of around a 179cm in height, had a brown hair with the tip barely reached his shoulders. His sharp brown eyes reflected loneliness and sorrow. The frown he had never left his face. His broad shoulders indicated that he was athletic and pretty active in sports.

That's me, alright.

I took my bag on the table and headed out, not forgetting to lock the front door.

My new school, North High, was on the top of the hill. So getting there would be quite a chore. The cherry blossoms to my left and right were blooming in full force. As the warm wind blew, the petals fell down slowly, following the direction of the wind.

It is quite a sight for a few people, saying that it's inspirational or motivating. Not for me though, they're just slowly dying organisms.

It wasn't long before I reached the hill. There were a crowd of students from North High going up, all of them had a friend or a gang to walk together with. The male students wore a blazer, and the female a sailor uniform. Quite a strange combination, maybe the headmaster had a sailor uniform fetish or something.

I took my first step at my new school after a quite tiring hike up the hill. New students should go to the hall for the entrance ceremony, so I did.

The entrance ceremony was… well, like an entrance ceremony. Few of the students found the speech motivating, many of them, like me, found it boring and pointless. Words would not motivate people, but I believe actions would.

The next thing after the ceremony was the class assignments. I took a glance at the crowded board, and saw my name on the list. I was assigned to class 1-5. There was no point in looking at the other names, since I didn't have any close friends from middle school, so I went straight to class.

I was the first one to enter the class, so I took my favorite spot in the corner of the room with the window next to me. It took a good 5 minutes or so for the rest of the class came barging in. They took their seats next to their best friends and talked about how high school would be different from middle school. Me, I just put my head down and took a nap. The spring air was just good enough to make me feel drowsy.

I woke up to the sound of the door sliding open. Enter a teacher, his slightly bald head and white colored hair indicated that he was in his 40s.

"Good morning, everyone! It's a fine day, don't you think?"

The high school freshmen replied with high spirits, though a few of them just kept quiet and said nothing.

He introduced himself as Okabe, and would be our homeroom teacher for the year. The man whose face was slightly wrinkled also stated that he was the supervisor of the handball team. As he rambled on about the future of handball in Japan, I started to space out.

Suddenly, he clapped his hands together, making me snap out of my dreams.

"Okay! Let's introduce ourselves!"

The students started introducing themselves, starting from the rightmost front seat. Logically, I'd be the last one to stand up and introduce myself.

One by one they introduced themselves. I didn't even bother to remember their names.

One weird female student, named Suzumiya Haruhi talked about time travelers and aliens in her introduction. The class went to an awkward silence after that. Our homeroom teacher, with hesitation, told us to continue. Might want to stay away from that girl, I mentally noted.

It wasn't long until the introduction reached the girl to my right. She had a shoulder length light brown hair with her bangs pinned down with two hairpins. With a determined expression planted on her face, her brown eyes filled with concentration. Just as I observed her, she stood up from her seat. A little too rough, I noticed.

"My name is Hirasawa Yui! Nice to meet you all!"

She then sat down back on her seat. Smiling like she had just accomplish something successfully. It was time for my introduction. I stood up from my seat and said, "Yamamoto Hiromi, pleased to meet you all."

It was easy to read the expression of my classmates. Many of them were scared due to my scary look. I guess these people judged a book by its cover.

After the introduction was over, Okabe-sensei had a little speech for a while. I was not willing to listen to him, so I went back to my slumber.

I woke up after the speech was over. Before he left the class, Okabe announced something that annoyed the hell out of me.

"A student must be active in at least one club activity."

Well, balls.


	2. Invitation

I took a look around the fields to find a club to join. There were many, yet I was not really interested in anything. A club would just get in the way of my part time job.

I decided to look around tomorrow or the day after that. Still have a few days before class actually started.

I took a walk home with a feeling of indifference. Other students, however, were contained with excitement of their new beginnings.

As I turned into a corner, I saw a man throwing a piece of trash to the streets.

"Oi!" I called out to him. He wore a school uniform, probably from some school around here.

He reluctantly turned his head to me. Judging from his looks, I took a guess that he might be a delinquent. The type that didn't care about anything beside himself.

"Please put your trash in the trashcan." I said, as politely as I could.

He put up an annoying smirk.

"Like hell I will."

Well, if that's what you're asking for. It's people like these that makes the world an unsuitable place for living a happy, carefree life.

I noticed that there was no one around. I approached him with the meanest glare I could muster. Once within range, I grabbed him in the neck and slammed him to a nearby wall.

My dad once told me to strike my enemies through fear. Make them fear you, make you the thing they fear. That is my intention.

"Throw your trash properly or I'll BREAK THAT FUCKING BRAINLESS SKULL OF YOURS!" I shouted at the witless man in front of me. His expression was of panic and fear, just as I wanted him to. I might have heard a female gasp when I shouted, but that could be just my imagination.

The delinquent shuddered and shivered as I released my grip. He ran with his tail between his legs and screamed like a girl while doing so. I sighed at the sight, many men had put up a tough mask and yet, with a little bluff, got their mask broken.

I took the piece of trash he left and threw it to the nearest trashcan, then continued on going my way home.

Let's just hope he learned his lesson. A traumatic event like that should be enough for a cowardice man like him.

Few weeks passed by without me noticing. The curriculum period had just started. Since the seats have been rearranged, I am now seated in the middle of the class, feeling very, very annoyed that I have to sit in the center of the crowd.

It was break time after the 2nd period, the class's inhabitants were scattered around like ants. Some were copying homework, few were out, maybe meeting their friends from the other classes, and the others just wander around the class, talking about ordinary school stuff. I took the chance to take a nap.

I felt a light poking of a mechanical pencil on my arm not long after I closed my eyes.

"Hey, hey, do you want to join the light music club?"

I reluctantly lifted my head and saw an excited face of Hirasawa Yui, leaning towards me.

"The light music club?" I asked, wanting to know more about the club I never heard before.

"Yeah! We play music, and stuff…"

Not informative.

The girl in front of Hirasawa sighed. She had a short, brown hair. A pair of red glasses rested on her face.

"You can't even play the guitar properly yet, Yui."

Hirasawa just laughed lightly. "But they promised me to teach me, and I'll get better eventually!"

She can't play the guitar? The light music club must have been really desperate for members if Hirasawa's friend's statement is true. Ah well, the few people there are, the better.

"Where is the clubroom located?" I asked, with my usual monotonous tone.

Hirasawa looked happy, probably due to the fact that she had successfully recruited a new member.

"It's… uh, where is it again?" She said, followed with a nervous laugh.

Wait, what? She promoted the club, yet she doesn't know where the clubroom is? What's with this girl?

Once again, a sigh came from Hirasawa's friend.

"It's in the 3rd floor of the old school building." She said to me and Hirasawa.

"Thanks, I'll head there after school." I replied.

The glasses girl smiled and told me not to mention it. She seemed to have an aura of a gentle, caring person. "Please excuse Yui's forgetfulness. She's been this way since kindergarten." She said. Hirasawa scratched her head while laughing nervously.

"Not your fault, err…" what was her name again?

"Manabe Nodoka. Nice to meet you, Yamamoto-san." She answered.

"You too." Was my reply. It was right after I said those words that the bell rang, indicating that break time was over.

"You must show up after school, okay?" said the airheaded girl in front of me.

Yeah, yeah, whatever. Music is my favorite thing next to cigarettes, so it won't be a sweat to be active in that club.

I guess my fate is sealed, then.


	3. The Shadow's Weakness

After school, the sun started to set, rendering the entire school building in an orange colored glow. I went to the old school building's 3rd floor with a feeling of boredom. And I could use a smoke right about now. Too bad if the school caught me smoking, I'd be expelled in an instant. So the logical choice was to bring not a single cigarette to school.

I remembered seeing a certain airhead bolting her way out just as the teacher left the class. Hirasawa must had been really excited to tell the news.

I walked through the hallway, searching for the light music club. I passed by a few clubrooms along the way. There was the computer club, the literature club and so on. It was the last room at the hallway that had a sign above the door. I had found what I searched for.

I stood there for a while, trying to listen to the sounds inside. It seemed that there were no males, number of people might be 3 or 4, one of them were teaching another how to play the guitar.

Just as I was concentrating on the sounds inside, a man approached me.

"Might you be a member of the light music club?" was his question.

I turned my head towards the voice that had just chirped. The man was a fellow North High student, around the same height as me. Blazer was buttoned neatly, and there were no signs of untidiness. His hair was of medium length, but not messy with the color of light brown, the same goes for his eyes. His face was handsome, with a smile that looked like it would last forever.

From the appearance and his tone of voice, I took a guess that he was a well-mannered man. A gentleman, in other words.

"No, I'm just about to join."

He nodded and put up a hand to his chin.

"I see… the same goes for me, too. Shall we?"

I nodded and knocked on the door. A familiar voice could be heard.

"Come in!"

That was the voice of Hirasawa Yui, the carefree student of 1-5.

I twisted the knob and was greeted by the scent of… tea? Wait, this doesn't make any sense. Anyway, the clubroom consisted of 4 people: Hirasawa, a tomboy-looking girl with a hair band, a blonde girl that seemed to have a gentle aura around her, and a mature looking girl.

I guess this makes me and the gentleman behind me the only males in the club.

I walked in and saw a bench on the left side of the room, where Hirasawa and the mature girl sat. To the front there were 4 tables that were merged together to make a large table, around it were 4 chairs, one for each tables. The makeshift large table was filled with teacups and sweets. That tea set looks expensive, too.

"Welcome to the light music club! I'm the president, Tainaka Ritsu! You must be Yamamoto Hiromi!"

The one that spoke was the tomboy; she sat cross-legged on one of the chairs, pointing her finger at me. I nodded, not really in the mood for words.

The president of the club nodded proudly.

"I've heard of you from Yui. And you must be Tanigawa Kaito!"

Tainaka changed the direction of her pointing to my companion.

"Indeed. You must've heard of me from Akiyama-san." Tanigawa, with his never fading smile, turned his head to the general direction of the mature looking female student.

"Good afternoon, Akiyama-san. We meet again." Said the smiling man beside me.

Akiyama nervously shifted her legs and seemed to be having difficulty in letting the words coming out of her throat.

"Ah, g-good afternoon, Tanigawa-kun."

"Okay! If you want to join, fill this form here. And make sure you come here every chance you get!" Tainaka said, standing up and handing us the form.

I fill out the form, then handed them back to the president. Tanigawa was done around the same time as me.

After that, we were introduced with the members of the light music club. The blonde haired girl goes with the name Kotobuki Tsumugi. She was the owner of the tea set and the sweets. Seemed to be pretty loaded.

The girl with the feel of an adult was Akiyama Mio. She had a long black hair with the same color for the eyes. Akiyama seemed scared when she saw me. I asked her why.

"I uh… I saw you yesterday." Was her answer.

Ah, the gasp I heard when I scared the delinquent out of his life was hers.

"That was merely my method in teaching someone a lesson. How you judge me is none of my concern." I said to her. The rest of the club gave me and Akiyama a confusing look. The black haired girl just told them that it was nothing.

Tainaka suddenly clapped her hands together, making the eyes in the room shift to her general direction.

"Okay, let's see what our new members can play! Starting from Tanigawa-san!"

"With honor, I have a bass guitar at home. But I can also play the keyboard and a little bit of guitar." The person with the never fading smile stated.

Not bad, that's how a man should be. A jack of all trades. That's what I'm aiming for, a person that knows a little bit of everything. Though it might be hard, it's worth the trouble.

The president, along with the rest of the female members were amazed by the statement.

Though I doubt that he lied, I'm not convinced until he showed proof.

"Awesome! Then how about you, Yamamoto-san?"

"Guitar, mostly. Along with drums, bass. Can't do keyboard though."

Hirasawa got up from her seat and shoved the guitar she was holding to my face.

"I'll lend you Giitah, play something!"

"Giitah? Wait, did you name your guitar?" I asked, feeling a little awkward.

The owner of 'Giitah' smiled proudly.

"Hehehe, Giitah, meet Yamamoto-kun!"

Naming a living being I can understand. But naming a guitar? This girl is either pretty lonely or has a brain damage. I'm starting to think it's the latter.

I took the guitar from her hands, inspecting it closely. Gibson Les Paul Standard, newly bought. Had a cherry sunburst finish. The sound should be really good, Gibson's a pretty famous guitar after all.

The members of the light music club were staring at me, as if they were really curious of my skills. I started with the famous tune for guitar players, Led Zeppelin's Stairway to Heaven. Took a while to get the feel of a Gibson guitar. I was used to the Epiphone I have at home. I played the intro and skipped to the guitar solo. I didn't saw the expressions of everyone in the room, I was pretty much focused on the guitar. It didn't take a minute for me to finish.

I lend the guitar back to its owner. The room was silent, with the members' mouths agape. I was quite puzzled on what to do when Hirasawa broke the silence.

"Teach me!"

"What?"

With an excited look on her face, she repeated what she said.

"Teach me how to play the guitar!"

Due to my weakness to women, I went to the clubroom almost every day, teaching a rather unique girl named Hirasawa Yui how to play the guitar.

Damn my luck.


	4. The Sarcastic Chef

"Looks like I'll have to rearrange my schedule."

"Yeah? Why?"

It was inside the air conditioned room on the corner of the street. The rather hot air outside couldn't reach the insides of the café. Yep, I'm a part-timer in the Castanet Café as a chef. Though I'm not really fit for the job, the place was desperate enough to hire me. The person I was talking to was Chihaya, the owner of the place. He wore a white shirt with the long sleeves rolled up to his elbow. The green Castanet Café apron covered his chest to his legs. The three bobby pins on his head held up his messy, peach colored hair.

"I've joined a club at school."

Chihaya turned his head to me, his violet eyes squinted as if I've grown three heads.

"Lies."

He knew me well.

"It was a requirement. Like it or not, I have to." I said to prove my point.

"Oh, I thought there was a ghost possessing you into joining a club. Seriously, mixing a guy like you with a club is like mixing cake with chicken."

What the hell does that supposed to mean? Ah, I've gotten used to his sarcastic and dumb remarks. And it looks like some of his personality rubbed on to me.

I chopped the vegetables required to make a risotto. It was quite fun, working in a café. Made me learn new things in cooking and culinary.

"Anyway, there're two North High students coming. That's your school right?"

I took a glance at the entrance. Yep, they're from North High alright. It was none other than the gentleman along with the lady of the club. Tanigawa and Akiyama.

Tanigawa was a mysterious man to me. With the everlasting smile on his face, I doubted that he had any hardships in life. But maybe that was just a mask, a cover to conceal his true self. I took this chance to find out.

"I need a favor." I said to the owner of the small café.

"A thousand yen each."

"No."

"Tch, cigarettes after work, then."

"Good enough. Listen, I need you to flirt with the girl there." I pointed at Akiyama, who was sitting beside Tanigawa. She seemed anxious.

"Why in the name of the Lord would I wanna do that?"

"Cigarettes."

"Fine, I'll see what I can do." The messy haired man went out with a note and a pen in his hand, heading towards the couple's direction.

I couldn't hear any word they exchanged, but I saw Akiyama blushing like crazy as Chihaya began speaking to her. I shifted my eyes to Tanigawa. Lo and behold, his mask had broke. Though just slightly, his smile disappearing from his face, and his eyes appeared to be glaring at the flirting waiter. Upper lip raised a bit indicating disgust, and I saw his hand balled up into a fist.

Okay, so this guy's genuine. He's pissed that his 'date' is being wooed by another guy. My guess is that he's actually living a happy life that made him kept smiling. But when he's angry, he's angry.

Chihaya went back to the kitchen after writing down their orders.

"Man, the guy's pissed! Do you know what he ordered? Water! Who in their right minds would order a glass of water in a goddamn café?"

I chuckled at the ranting man that just came inside.

"Your fault. Maybe you've gone overboard."

"Whatever. Why do you want me to do that anyway? Am I really that interesting to make fun of?"

None of his business, actually. But since he went through the trouble, I decided to tell him.

"Just another one of my 'tests'. I want to see that man's smile disappear from his face for once."

"Ugh, seriously, you need to go out more often. What is this 'tests' you're talking about?"

He handed me the orders, then sat on a nearby stool. The café's pretty much quiet. People preferred the bigger café located across the street, so it wasn't really a sweat to work here. Let's see… strawberry parfait and water. I went to the fridge to prepare the necessary ingredients.

I explained to Chihaya that my 'tests' were to investigate a person's character through spontaneous reactions, and told him the results of Tanigawa's test.

"Ah, well… just what I expected from you. Weird man." He said as he stood up, getting ready to take the orders.

I gave the strawberry parfait along with the glass of water to Chihaya, and sat down on the stool myself.

The duo didn't stay long, They left after Akiyama was finished with her parfait. There were no other customers after that. Chihaya and I grabbed our jackets and closed down the café. We went for a smoke at the nearby park for a while. I'm a man of my word, so I gave him my share of smoke. After that, we parted ways.

Chihaya was a good man. Pretty ambitious and determined. Apart from that, he's easygoing. And even though his comments may be rude to some people, he actually proved a point rather than randomly insulting. Too bad people these days weren't intelligent enough to know the meaning behind his words. I guess you could say he was a friend of mine.

A good friend.

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><p><strong>Author's note : I snatched Chihaya (English name: Chase) from a game called Harvest Moon: Animal Parade.<strong>


	5. Lighting The Shadow

"Yamamoto-kun… I don't understand this problem."

It was the first break time in the day of the moon, Monday. The class was way more noisy than the first day I attended school, mostly due to the people already knowing each other. The voice I just heard came from the mouth of Hirasawa Yui, who didn't do her homework and asked Manabe, her childhood friend for help. Unfortunately, Manabe had an appointment with a teacher and left the airhead of a girl all alone, who eventually, turned her head back and constantly asking questions to me. Damn my luck. Damn the teacher that called Manabe.

I took her notebook and taught her how to solve it. It wasn't long before she asked again. Almost all of the problems were solved by yours truly. Though it was not really a waste, every time I solved a problem, I taught her how to do it, meaning she would understand the material easily. It was when I decided to take a nap that my savior came back

"Sorry for the wait, Yui."

It was the familiar voice of Manabe Nodoka. The girl that was well-known in class for her intelligence, as well as Hirasawa's 'teacher'

"Oh, you've solved all the problems! That's surprising."

I wasn't asleep when she came, just keeping my head down. Hirasawa laughed nervously like usual.

"And you got it all right! Great job, Yui!"

"Um… actually, it's Yamamoto-kun that taught me."

I could easily picture Manabe with a look of surprise right about now.

"Really? I didn't know he's this good. You might wanna thank him. Oh, wait he's asleep."

I'm not. I'm just resting my eyes. People see me as a lazy and anti-social man. The latter is a tad true, but I'm pretty sure I'm not classified as lazy.

The sound of the bell echoed throughout the school, gaining everyone's attention. I reluctantly sat straight up with less drowsiness in my body. I blinked my eyes a few times to get my vision right.

The rest of the class was uneventful. I was listening and taking notes like usual. Some students slept, some passed notes, while a few of them paid full attention to the teacher. It reminded me of junior high, the world didn't change after all.

Without me realizing, came the time for lunch break. I had my simple meal and took the chance to snooze away.

Unfortunately, before I could get over to the dream world, I overheard a conversation involving myself just in front of me. Damn my sharp hearing.

"Uh, Nodoka… I don't understand this problem here." It was an unfamiliar voice of a female student. Obviously, it was directed to Manabe, who was sitting two seats away in front of me.

"Why don't you ask Yamamoto-kun? He taught me this problem a while ago." Piped in Hirasawa, I could easily tell it was her voice.

"Eh? But… he's kind of… scary." Said the unknown student.

I heard that. Why don't you at least keep your voice down when you're talking about someone who is in the same room as you? Women.

Hirasawa laughed lightly, I could easily imagine her expression right about now.

"Don't worry, he may be scary on the outside. But he's not really scary once you know him!"

Damn you Hirasawa.

"Okay, I'll try…"

I heard the footsteps closing in to my position apart from the loud chattering outside and inside the class.

"Umm… Yamamoto-kun?"

I lifted my head and glanced at the scared female student standing in front of my seat.

"What?" I asked, with my usual monotonous tone.

She shifted her eyes nervously, and seemed to be having a difficult time getting the words out.

"I uh… Can you teach me how to solve this problem?"

Her voice was pretty low, the people that could hear it were me and the speaker herself. She showed me her opened notebook and pointed her finger to the problem at hand. Math, huh?

Piece of cake.

"I'll do it. But it'll be a long explanation. Why don't you grab a seat?"

"A-ah, Okay!"

She panicked when she tried to grab the empty chair beside my seat, and banged it several times to the table.

Isn't this a little over the top? I'm not a ghost goddammit.

I explained how to solve the problem to her. As I did, her fear seemed to be reducing bit by bit, mostly because of concentrating on the problem. As time goes by, there were no traces of fear left in her.

"That's how it's done. You got all that?" I said, finishing my tutoring.

"Yes! Thank you so much, Yamamoto-kun!" she said with a triumphant smile on her face.

"Just don't forget the quick formula I taught you."

"I won't! Once again, thank you Yamamoto-kun!"

She grabbed the chair which she sat on a while ago, and put it back to its place, without banging the table this time. It was an indicator that she was not scared anymore. After setting the chair, she ran back to Hirasawa with her notebook in hand.

Feeling a little relieved, she reported my tutoring to the airhead.

"You're right, Yui! He's not scary at all. He's very helpful… and he even taught me how to solve the problem quickly! The teacher didn't even teach us how to do it!"

Again, I heard that. This sharp hearing of mine is both a gift and a curse.

I could hear Hirasawa giggling.

"Told you! Yamamoto-kun isn't a scary man!"

"I feel like I should apologize to him. I have the wrong impression all this time."

Not necessary.

"Not now, though. The bell will ring in a few seconds…" piped Manabe.

"Hmm, you're right. Anyway, I'm gonna tell the whole class about this! This'll teach them not to judge a book by its cover."

Not friggin' necessary.

The excited girl ran back to her seat, leaving Hirasawa and Manabe alone. Hirasawa turned her head to me, her goofy smile could be seen clearly. She gave me a thumbs up and a wink, then turned her head back.

Just what is she intending to do?


	6. The Unknown Theory

The last school bell had rung. Like a group of ant that had just splashed by water, the students were scattered around the school. Some went to their respective clubrooms, few went straight home, abandoning their responsibilities of attending a club, and the others had cleaning duties.

Me, I was stuck with sweeping the class floor.

"I'm sorry for that."

That was the familiar voice of Manabe Nodoka, who also had a cleaning duty along with me and a few other students.

"Not your fault, and I don't need an apology. What I don't understand is her motives, why would she do that?"

Manabe smiled with grace, with the shiny orange light that came through the window, her gentleness seemed to be amplified.

"Sometimes, I just don't know what runs in that girl's head. But I think she's trying to help you."

"Help me?" I asked with curiosity.

"Ah, no offence, but you are the only person in class that the students fear. Yui noticed that you are not that kind of person, and she wanted to show the 'real' you to the class. But please do note that it was merely a speculation of mine, what's really in Yui's mind, I don't know."

Manabe's explanation was logical, and I believed her. But one question still remained.

"Why did she go through all the trouble? Helping me, I mean."

The glasses girl narrowed her eyes a bit and smiled, as if she remembered something.

"That, I do not know. I have one theory in mind, but I think it'll be better for you to figure it out yourself."

I raised one eyebrow at the short haired classmate of mine. Ah well, I don't want to interrogate Manabe into giving me answers, I'll just keep quiet and focus on the floor.

After making sure the class was clean, we went separate ways. Manabe said she had some business in the school committee room. I walked through the mostly quiet school by myself.

As I walked towards the clubroom, I noticed the sign above the literature club was replaced by a piece of paper taped to it. It read 'SOS Brigade'. What was that all about?

I ignored the absurd change and continued walking towards the clubroom.

I hope Hirasawa got better. What I admired from her was her determination in learning things. Although she might be a little bit slow, she wanted to be able to play the guitar with all her will.

As I twisted the doorknob, I smelled the familiar scent of tea surrounding the clubroom. All the members were here. With the exception of Hirasawa, the others were seated in the merged table whilst having tea and chatting away.

They all turned their heads towards the door and greeted me.

"Want some tea?"

It was the sweet and gentle voice of Kotobuki Tsumugi, the keyboardist of the club. Her gentle ladylike smile could melt a man's heart in a matter of seconds.

"No, thanks. I'll just continue my lesson with Hirasawa here."

It's not like that I don't want any tea. It's just… it doesn't feel right for Kotobuki to serve me. She's already sitting and chatting away, and I don't want to trouble her.

"Hey, hey, Yamamoto-kun! I learned all the chords!" Said Hirasawa with excitement. She was sitting in the bench with her 'Giitah' or whatever its name is.

That's to be expected. It was a few days ago that I taught her how to play the guitar, but chords are easy to learn. What's hard from this little piece of instrument lies in the next step. But I think it's too early to teach her how to play classical guitar, maybe tomorrow I'll bring my acoustic guitar along to school.

"Good, let's see what you've got."

I threw out random chords and Hirasawa showed me the grips. Good, she got them all right.

"You're doing well. Good job."

"Hehehe, I can play Giitah!" she said as she lifted her Gibson guitar.

The club's reactions were normal. Some with 'congratulations' others with 'that's good to hear'. But I could tell from their expressions that they were genuinely happy. Ha, micro expressions are fun to learn.

"Hey, Yamamoto-kun. Can I call you Hiromi-kun?" The overexcited girl asked.

"What? No." I declined the offer.

"Please?"

She put up a face that I was weak against. The puppy dog face.

"N-no!" Goddamn my weakness against women!

"Pleeaase?" She begged, leaning closer to my face. Damn it, that was too close for comfort.

"The lady insists, Yamamoto-san." Tanigawa piped in.

None of your business, smiley face! Shut up and drink your tea quietly like a British gentleman! And get the hell out of my face, Hirasawa!

"Fine! Do what you want!"

Hirasawa cheered proudly, the rest of the club just smiled and laughed lightly.

"Then you can call me Yui, Hiromi-kun!"

"Not a chance."

Much to my dismay, she used the same tactics against me. Alas, I gave up.

"Alright, alright! I'll call you Yui from now on!"

Again, she cheered with excitement. The members of the club were stifling their laughs. Bastards.

Hirasawa- I mean, Yui went to the bathroom after that. The club went to an all-out burst of laughter.

"Oh, Yamamoto, you're so pathetic. Hahahaha!" Commented the tomboy president of the club. She was grabbing her sides when doing so.

"Shut up! I'm weak against that." I retorted.

"I never thought a tough guy like you would lose to a puppy dog face! Hahahahaha!"

Tainaka continued her comments and laughing like a maniac, along with the rest of the club. Damn it, I feel humiliated.

"Whatever." Was all I could muster.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: If you're wondering about the character design of Hiromi, I kinda based it from a character named Vaughn from the game Harvest Moon: Sunshine Islands. Look it up if you're interested.<strong>


	7. A Talk With The Gentleman

It was after school at the clubroom. The quiet atmosphere could be felt as I sat down on the bench. The others weren't here yet, so I took the chance to lie down and rest my eyes.

As I was about to let the drowsiness took over my body, came a sound of a twisting knob from the door.

"Ah, good afternoon Yamamoto-san."

It was none other than the always smiling man in the club, Tanigawa. He entered with his clothes still in best shape, which amazed me. With many hours of school, there had to be at least some dirt on his pants or something.

"Yo." I plainly greeted.

"It sure is quiet when there's only the two of us."

That was a pointless sentence. I could easily tell that he only wanted to have a conversation with me, so I ignored him.

He shifted his legs to the window side and stood still, his eyes were directed to the setting sun ahead of him. It was then I remembered something I needed to say to him.

"Sorry for the other day."

He turned his head towards me, and gave me a questioning look.

"I'm sorry, I can't seem to recall any event that requires apology. Care to elaborate?"

"Castanet café, with Akiyama. There was a guy flirting with her. That was my doing."

The look on his face turned to surprise. I explained everything before he could ask a question.

"I worked there, as a chef. You might not see me. I just wanted to know more about the mysterious guy in our club."

"I see… but how could that act help to learn more about me?"

"Spontaneous reactions. Your hands were balled into fists, indicating anger. That way, I acknowledged your personality is normal, just like any other people. What bugs me is the reason why you kept smiling like that. It's just suspicious."

Tanigawa regained back his trademark smile.

"I apologize I if seem suspicious to you. It's just that I don't want anyone to worry. If I kept smiling like this, every people will see me as a happy man with no problems whatsoever."

"Tell me the truth, do you have any problems in your life?" I asked him.

The smiling man chuckled, he walked towards the table and took a seat.

"There are a few. Every person has a problem. It's just mine isn't really that big of a deal, I can take care of it myself."

"Don't be afraid to ask for help, but don't ask too many. A man should be able to solve a problem by himself, but reaching out for a helping hand is all right once in a while." I said to him, wanting to change his individual ways.

But what I said is contradictory to what I do. I always solve problems by myself. It may be harder to solve, but I just don't like being helped. Ha, quite a strange personality I have. Likes to help people yet doesn't like to be helped.

"I will keep that in mind. Thank you, Yamamoto-san."

After the conversation was over, I felt the drowsiness in me vanished without a trace. It was strange how sleepiness could come and go. I decided to grab my Epiphone electric guitar I brought with me. It had been a while since I touched the guitar, so I went through all the trouble of cleaning it just the other day. The England flag finish could be seen reflecting the sunlight coming from the window.

I plugged the jack into the amplifier. It had been too long since I heard the familiar sound of the guitar, it brought back memories.

I played a tune I hadn't played for a long time. The guitar solo of Free Bird. Let's see if I still got the juice for this.

Apparently, I missed some of the notes. I need to practice more, then.

"That's amazing Hiromi-kun!"

I stopped at the middle of the solo due to the disturbance. That voice, it was none other than Hirasawa Yui.

I lifted my head to see the familiar face.

"Yui, when did you get here?" I asked her.

"Eh? I was here a while ago."

It seemed that I was pretty focused at playing the guitar and became oblivious to my surroundings. All of the members were all present without me noticing.

"That's an amazing guitar! What's his name?" Yui asked me, inspecting my guitar.

"What? I didn't give it a name, don't put me in the same level as you are!"

"Boo! Hiromi-kun doesn't love his guitar!"

Yui kept pestering me about how I didn't love my guitar, giving entertainment to the rest of the club. After a brief argument, she decided to name it 'England-chan' due to the England flag on its body. How goddamn original, that name was.

"I'm thinking of leaving my guitar here. Is that alright?" I asked no one in particular, ignoring Yui's pleading to make me call my guitar by its name.

The president put up a hand to her chin, looking like a skilled detective.

"I can't guarantee that, there might be some thieves around the school. What would you do if '_England-chan_' gets stolen?" She put an emphasis on my guitar's new name to mock it. And she even stifled a laugh.

"I'll hunt down who stole it and kill him and everybody he loves."

The room went to a silence, save Yui who was oblivious of anything I said.

"What? I was joking." I stated plainly.

"Uh, with you saying that, I kinda doubt that was a joke." Said Akiyama.

"Yeah, you look like a cold blooded killer already." Agreed Tainaka.

I sighed as I put up a hand to my face. The club was giggling after they heard Tainaka's comment.

"Whatever."

In the end, I left my guitar at the clubroom. That way, it would be less of a chore to hike the goddamn steep hill to my school.

There's something about the light music club that I can't put my finger on. I seem to have a feeling of wanting to be there all the time. It's like I'm drawn with an unknown force every time school's over.

I ignored the feeling and went home anyway. And no, I'm not calling my guitar with that name Yui gave.

No way in hell.


	8. Introducing The Chef

"It's called friendship, Hiromi."

The owner of the café told me as he flipped the pancake some customer ordered, his trademark bobby pins could be seen from my side. We had switched sides to freshen things up; Chihaya became the chef, and me the waiter. I had told the peach haired man about my feelings for the light music club. Thus the answer he gave.

"You don't even have a friend."

He chuckled and held up a smile, eyes focused with the half cooked pancake.

"I have one. But trust me, from the way I see it, they're the ones that treated you nicely since God knows when. And that's what made you longing to be there."

Well, makes sense if you think about it. But there is one thing that I know for sure.

"I haven't told them." I stated as I narrowed my eyes.

Chihaya shifted his eyes to me, the violet orbs reflected sympathy.

"I see… your call, Hiromi. If you don't tell them, they'll find out sooner or later."

What I was talking about was the truth that anyone, with the exception of Chihaya and I, didn't know. I started to remember the day I told the truth to the man that I called a friend.

_It was in the middle of the night at the park. The sounds were nothing but crickets and a few cars and bikes passing by. The lamp above the bench we were sitting at was the most reliable source of light other than the moon. That night, I told Chihaya about my past._

"_A mercenary?"_

"_Yes, I'm a son of a mercenary, a son of a killer. Sorry I just mentioned this, I should've told you earlier."_

_Chihaya held an expression of surprise, then came into realization._

"_Okay, look. It's not funny to joke about your parents."_

"_I'm serious."_

_The owner of the café went quiet for a while and sighed, but then smiled a genuine smile._

"_Tell me, Hiromi. How do you feel about this? About the fact that your father is a killer."_

_I knew the answer._

"_It's what made me unable to socialize. I'm afraid if my friends knew the truth, I'll be left alone again. Hence I isolated myself from society, it's better to be alone rather than having friends and losing them the very next day."_

_Chihaya sighed for the second time and scratched his head._

"_Look, I know it's different for each people, but I don't judge someone from their parents. Now I know the fact that your father is a killer, that doesn't change my way of seeing you. It's not important what your parents are, it's yourself that matters."_

_That statement caught me off guard. I never thought that sarcastic bastard would have that way of thinking. I sat there, unable to muster any word._

"_Trust me, man. There's always someone worse than you."_

_The present me knew what he meant by those words. There's a guy that's worse than me._

_And I know the guy._

"Oi! Order's ready, get going!"

The commanding voice of Chihaya woke me from my daydreams. I took the pancakes and went out to serve it.

It was Saturday morning, and yet the quietness of the café could still be felt. I served the pancake to the lovey dovey couple sitting by the window. They were the only customers inside this small building, so I had time to relax and slack for a while.

That was, until I heard the sound of the glass door opening.

It was the girls from the light music club. Yui came in, followed by Akiyama, Kotobuki, and Tainaka.

I stood up and strode my legs towards them. They were busy with the menu, and didn't notice me approaching.

"What'll you guys have?" I asked with the usual waiter tone.

They all turned their heads towards me. The looks of surprise were seen as they realized who the waiter was.

"Eh! Yamamoto-kun, what are you doing here?" asked Akiyama, putting down the menu.

"I work here. You didn't saw me in the kitchen when you were here the last time?"

"Of course not! I was too… focused." Akiyama blushed as she directed her eyes to the table.

"Focused on what exactly?" I asked, pressing a little further.

"Oh, nevermind!" The bassist blurted.

I held up a smirk, confusing the other members.

"Hiromi-kun, you're so cool with an apron!"

That voice is really familiar to my ears that I don't even need to see the person who said that.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Now, orders."

The club ordered some ordinary things, pancakes and stuff. I'm not quite in the mood to spell it out one by one, so deal with it. I went to the kitchen and gave the orders to Chihaya.

"Go on, talk to them. I'll serve it when it's ready. There're no other customers left in the café anyway." He said.

"I'm not really-"

"Just shut up and go. That's my order as a boss."

Whatever… I left the kitchen and walked back towards the foursome and took a seat next to Yui. Now don't get the wrong idea, it's the only seat available, so shut up.

"Since when did you work here, Yamamoto-kun?" Kotobuki, with her usual gentle smile asked me.

"7th grade, if memory serves."

"Amazing! You're here for 3 years?"

"Pretty much."

"Hey, Yamamoto-kun. The strawberry parfait that I ordered last time, was it you that made it?" Asked Akiyama.

"Yeah. Why?"

"It's good! The best parfait I've ever had!" the black haired girl said with a cheerful smile.

I don't always get a compliment. But when I do, I have this feeling of… achievement maybe?

"Thanks. You should try Chihaya's. The guy's been cooking since God knows when."

Speak of the devil, the messy haired chef came out, tray in hand, and headed to our table.

"Here are your orders, ladies." He said in a gentlemanly fashion. He set down the orders one by one and made sure there was nothing missing.

"Cut the gentleman crap, Chihaya. Here, let me introduce you to the light music club."

I introduced the members to the owner of the café.

"Hahaha, sorry for my little act. Sometimes when I do that, the female customers got flattered and came back here the next day!" he said, revealing his tactics in business.

Tainaka scoffed and raised her legs, sitting cross legged on the chair.

"Really? I thought it was the male customers that got flattered, you look pretty womanly with that bobby pins of yours."

Chihaya smirked, he really loved it when someone insulted him.

"Oh, and you seem to act quite unladylike yourself, _Mr. Tainaka_. A true lady wouldn't sit cross legged on a chair."

"What did you say, Momotaro?"

Tainaka was referring to an old Japanese fairy tale. Momotaro was a boy born from a peach. She might noticed his peach colored hair.

"I said: you act like a boy, shiny forehead."

And so began the verbal war between the sarcastic chef and the tomboy president. I sighed at the grownups acting like children, and turned my head to the other members.

"How is it? The meal, I mean."

Akiyama and Yui took a bite of the pancake, while Kotobuki took a sip of her tea.

"Delicious!" said the three of them, simultaneously.

I had learned microexpressions to the fullest, and I could easily tell those words were genuine. I was happy for the chef, he may not have someone complimenting him very often. As I took a glance to Chihaya, he was still busy exchanging verbal insults with Tainaka. It seemed he didn't hear the word that the girls said.

"That idiot." I said as I pressed the palm of my hand to my face.


	9. A Noble Man

It was a warm spring day after the 5th working day. I opened my eyes to see a ray of sunlight infiltrating my room. I had nothing else to do, so I decided to take a walk around town.

After taking a shower and having breakfast, I went outside with a t-shirt and a pair of jeans equipped, of course, not forgetting my wallet, cell phone, and a pack of cigs.

The warm breeze greeted me as I opened the front door. It was spring, all right. I shifted my legs towards a random direction. Just like Keith Richards living his life, I go with the flow.

Without me realizing, I was at the shopping district with the tall buildings surrounding me. The roads were full of cars which was pretty normal in Saturday mornings. As I took another step forward, I saw a familiar figure standing in front of a music shop.

The always smiling face, the tall yet slightly built figure. No doubt he was the gentleman from the club.

"Yo." I said to get his attention.

Tanigawa turned his head towards me.

"Good morning, Yamamoto-san. Taking a stroll?"

"Pretty much. What are you doing?"

He chuckled and turned his head towards the display of the music shop.

"It just saddens me to know that the metal genre is getting incredibly famous."

I took a glance towards the display, there lies brand new albums of various metal bands.

"I get what you mean. I don't think screaming like you've just got your toe stubbed is called music."

Tanigawa chuckled. "Well, I guess it's a matter of perspective. What do you listen to, Yamamoto-san?" The gentleman with the never fading smile turned his head towards me again. "Though I assume you like classic rock."

I must say, this guy's quite sharp. "Your assumption is right, though I also like blues."

Tanigawa nodded. "I see… We have something in common then. Why don't we take a walk together? I'm free for the time being."

I don't like the idea of walking together with a man. But as I think again, it'll make me know more about the guy. Thus I accepted the offer.

We strolled around while having small talks. From the information I gathered, he was a simple man that didn't like anything 'sparkly'. By 'sparkly' I meant make-ups, sexy dressed women, modern fashion. It amused me how similar our interests were.

As we walked for a few minutes, we went for a rest at a nearby park, the park that Chihaya and I used to go for a smoke.

I looked around for pedestrians, there seemed to be a few, yet not really crowded.

"Mind if I smoke?" I asked the smiling man who sat beside me.

"Not at all. Though I must say, smoking is bad for your health, Yamamoto-san."

"I know what I'm doing. So shut up."

I took a cig from the pack and lit it. The familiar taste of a clove cigarette could be felt in my mouth.

"That was very noble of you, Yamamoto-san." Tanigawa suddenly said out of the blue.

I couldn't seem to recall anything noble from the past events. Confused, I decided to ask him. "What was?"

Tanigawa chuckled and put one leg up, resting on the other.

"Asking me if I mind. That told me you care about people's health."

Sharp, indeed.

"Like I said, I know what I'm doing. So I don't smoke when there's too many people around."

"It seems that all this time I was wrong about you. You are a good man indeed. I apologize if you were offended by my incorrect assumption on you."

"No need, everybody does that." I said, putting up a hand.

The rest of the day was uneventful. But at least I've learned a few things about the male bassist of our club today. He's a good man. Intelligent, dexterous, and has a good sense of deduction.

A good man, Tanigawa is.


	10. Interrupting Metal Gear Solid 4

_This is the liberty we won for ourselves! Outer Haven…_

I had completed Metal Gear Solid 4 before. For some reason, I had the urge to play it again.

I was near the end of act 4 when suddenly, my phone rang. I paused the game in the middle of the epic cutscene and took a glance to my phone screen.

"Akiyama…"

I flipped open my outdated phone and pressed it to my ear.

"Hello?" I said in a rather irritated tone. Damn you Akiyama for interrupting one of the most epic scenes in the game.

"Ah, Yamamoto-kun? Can I come over?" It was no doubt the voice of the club's left handed bassist, completely oblivious of my tone of voice.

"What do you want?"

"It's uh… I can't talk about it over the phone. It's really important, so can I?"

"What is this, top secret information that the government doesn't know? Seriously…" Influenced by Chihaya, my reply was pretty sarcastic.

"Just let me come over!" said a rather irritated voice of Akiyama. "It's really important!"

"Whatever. I'll be waiting."

With that, we said our goodbyes and hung up. I continued my game until there was a save point and went upstairs to get my shirt. I really don't want Akiyama to see me shirtless.

I took a step to the balcony and wait for the guest. The view of the city could be seen quite clearly from here. The sun glared at me in full force, blinding my sight. It was Sunday, and the happy families were almost all out to enjoy the short time of being away from work and school. Reflexively, I took out a cigarette from the pack and lit it. It seemed that every time I went to the balcony, I had the desire to smoke.

I spotted my guest in a matter of minutes. I put out the remains of my cigarette and waited for Akiyama to reach my gate.

As she stood outside my gate, I shouted "Come in! Door's open!"

I could easily imagine an exclamation mark above her head as she jolted it towards the balcony. Damn it, I guess pulling an all nighter on MGS4 can make you see things.

I went back inside and strode downstairs. I saw Akiyama in a casual, everyday outfit turning her head around as she stood in the terrace.

"Come on in." I ordered her.

I escorted her to the living room and told her to sit down.

"Drink?" I asked.

"If you please."

She seemed nervous. A little sugar could fix that. The air outside was quite a scorcher, so I figured sweet iced tea would do the job just fine. I walked towards the kitchen and fixed two glass of iced tea, then brought them to the living room.

"Thanks." The long haired girl said before she gulped down the contents of the glass. "It's quite a huge house, where are your parents?"

I knew she was going to ask that. "Gone." I said plainly.

"They're on a trip?"

"No, gone forever."

Akiyama seemed to be surprised when I said that, though I was quite getting used to it.

"I- I'm sorry! I shouldn't have asked that…" she stuttered.

"No need, it's a natural conversation. Now what's this 'important thing' that you wanted to talk about?" I asked, changing the subject.

Akiyama nervously took an item out of her bag, seemed to be a notepad and a pen. Cute designs, too. I gulped down the iced tea as she did that, an action which I regretted doing.

"Please tell me everything you know about Tanigawa-kun!" she suddenly blurted.

Alas, there goes some portion of my iced tea. I burst out the liquid which was going down my throat, and some got on my nose.

"Goddamnit Akiyama!"

"Eh? I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-"

"Alright, alright! I'll just clean this mess up."

Ugh, that wasn't pleasant at all. I took a piece of cloth and wiped the liquid off the floor, not forgetting to add some water to clean out the sugar.

"Damn it. Now what were you asking again?" I asked whilst getting back to my seat, coughing several times.

"Sorry… it's about Tanigawa-kun."

Oh yeah, smiley face.

"Why in the world would I want to tell you about him?"

"It's uh- complicated."

"I won't give a single answer if you don't give me a reason to do so."

I already knew the answer, I just wanted to test how bold she was. Akiyama seemed to be desperate looking for a made-up answer. Until…

"Because I like him, okay?"

Good enough.

I gave out the results of my observation just the other day, and Akiyama seemed to be taking a note in every single word I said.

After quite a long list, Akiyama kept quiet all of a sudden.

"What? Not enough info? Ask the guy yourself." I said, gaining her attention.

The club's bassist looked up to me and smiled sweetly. From a man's point of view, she looked like an angel descended from heaven.

"It's more than enough, actually. Thank you, Yamamoto-kun. It's just that…" she narrowed her eyes. A look of sorrow could be seen clearly.

"It's just what?" I pried. Women these days just can't get to the point quickly.

Akiyama sighed. "I don't know if I'm good enough for him, with my weakness and all."

What is this, a highschool drama?

I sighed at the helpless woman in front of me. "Listen here, Akiyama. Let's get back to the basics here… a human can't live by themselves; they need other people to survive. The same goes for you and Tanigawa, your weakness will be fixed by him, and his downsides will be your job to mend. Like a jigsaw puzzle, you just need the correct pieces for it to be whole."

Akiyama stared at me wide eyed. A look of surprise, that was, until she suddenly chuckled.

"I never thought something like that would come out of your mouth, Yamamoto-kun." She said with a smile. "Though I must admit your words are true. Thank you, Yamamoto-kun. I feel pretty confident now."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever..." I rarely got thanked, so I really don't know what to say.

After I said those words, we had a little chat for a while before she had to go. I offered her a walk home, but she declined the offer, said she needed to go somewhere else first. So we exchanged our goodbyes and parted.

It's pretty obvious that Akiyama likes Tanigawa, doesn't need a goddamn genius to figure that out.


	11. Spot The Difference

"I've failed the midterms!"

We all turned our heads to the door, there stood Yui with a sad face, test results in her hands. It was the day after the midterms, and the results were handed to us. The clubroom went to an abrupt silence after the announcement.

"Figures." I muttered, breaking the silence.

"Yamamoto-kun!" Akiyama yelled at me.

"Just take the retest. No need to fuss over it." I said in a bored tone.

"Yeah, but can she succeed in the retest?" Tainaka piped in.

I believe she could. Yui is a determined person, if she put her all into something, she'll master it in no time.

"Hiromi-kun! Help me!" It was the desperate voice of the midterm failure.

"Why the hell would I wanna do that?"

"Because you have the best grades along with Nodoka-chan!"

Well, it's true that I am equal with Manabe in a matter of intellectual thoughts. But that doesn't mean I'll teach you!

"Why don't you ask Manabe?" I asked with irritation.

"I want you to teach me too!" she begged whilst hugging my leg.

"Alright, alright! Now get off me!" I swung my leg and forced her to let go.

"Oh ho, how cute." commented Kotobuki. She put up a hand to her mouth to hide her smile.

"Shut up."

And so, we arranged a cram session located at Yui's house. The teachers will be yours truly along with Manabe. Argh, my gaming Saturday is now ruined.

The promised day came without me noticing. I reluctantly got up from bed and did my morning routine. As I went outside, the warm spring air greeted me once again. It's almost summer, I noted. As the sun glared down on me, I walked towards Yui's house with a cigarette dangling on my lips.

I came across a familiar face as I turned into a corner. The girl who goes with the name of Manabe Nodoka waved at me. Not wanting her to inhale the smoke, I took out my portable ashtray and put out the half done cigarette.

"Good morning, Yamamoto-kun. It's a fine day, don't you think?" she greeted.

That has got to be the most clichéd greeting ever. "Sure is." I answered with boredom.

"Let's do our best today!" she cheered, fresh as a daisy.

"Yeah, let's."

We walked together towards Yui's house, having small talks. In a matter of minutes, we reached our destination.

Manabe knocked on the door, initiating a "Coming!" voice to come out from inside. The door opened after we heard a loud stepping noise from inside, and revealed a familiar face of Hirasawa Yui… wait, something's off.

"Come in! I've been waiting for you guys!" she invited us in.

"Yui's sister?" I randomly asked out of the blue.

Manabe and 'Yui' looked at me with surprise.

"How did you know?" they both asked simultaneously.

"Uh, coincidence. I guess."

"A-anyway, let's come inside. It's quite a scorcher outside."

We went inside and were guided to Yui's room. It was a standard girl's room without anything out of the ordinary. Looking to my left, I saw her Les Paul in its best shape. I'm quite happy to know that she took good care of her guitar. As I looked to the table, there sat the real Hirasawa Yui, with a look of determination on her face. I must say that look is kinda…

…_Cute. _My conscience said to me.

Wait, no, that's not what I meant. Shut up, conscience!

I turned my head to a random direction to get the thought out of my head. Damn it, what the hell is wrong with me?

"Welcome! Are you surprised that I have a clone, Hiromi-kun?" she said as she put up a smirk.

"No," I plainly stated. "And she isn't your 'clone'. She's your sister!"

"It seems that we're discovered, nee-chan."

The look of surprise can be seen clearly on Yui's face. I smirked as I thwarted the trick she had arranged. That couldn't fool me, I am quite gifted with a sharp perception.

Yui told us about her plan of fooling me into thinking her sister, Hirasawa Ui as Yui. Strangely enough, Manabe didn't even notice the 'Yui' that greeted us was a fake until I point it out.

Yui's sister left us after the explanation, and so began the cram session. Not long after a brief problem solving, Yui fell asleep at the table.

"Oi, get up!" I said to her.

She blurted out random words that I can't even decipher. I was about to poke her with my pen before a voice stopped me.

"Now, now, Yamamoto-san. I believe Yui can't handle all these materials at once. Let her rest for a while."

Now that I think about it…

"You have a point, I remembered when I taught her how to play the guitar, she's a slow learner, but her determination is what kept her going."

Manabe smiled another angelic smile.

"Absolutely right. It's amazing that you knew her well for only a few weeks."

"I just happen to be a fast learner in a person's personality." I said to her.

"And what amazed me more was the fact that you could tell the difference between Yui and Ui. I can't even tell a single bit of difference after all these years."

That, I don't know how I do it. It's just… they have a different… what do you call it, aura? Dammit I sound like a hippie.

"Like I've said, coincidence." I lied.

I excused myself to go to the balcony for a smoke. Like any other people, Manabe lectured me about smoking, which I ignored. It's still around 11am as I went out, the sun's still glaring in full force. Few minutes later, I put out my cigarette at the portable ashtray I bought online. I am, in fact, a huge fan of Metal Gear Solid. So when I saw Snake's cigarette tube in MGS4, I lurked the internet and bought it almost immediately.

The rest of the day was uneventful, Yui woke up after a few minutes and continued to study. When the sun sets, I escorted Manabe to her house, and went on my way home.

Now to wait for the results…

"I've passed the retest!"

The clubroom went to a cheer after the door slammed open and the announcement came. It was no surprise for me, I knew she would pass.

I trusted her.

"Let me see that." I said as I snatched the results from her hands.

The members stacked up behind me to see the results. Surprisingly, she got perfect scores, for all the materials.

"Amazing, Yui! Perfect scores!" exclaimed Tainaka with disbelief.

Yui, with her triumphant smile, pointed her finger to me.

"Thanks to Hiromi-kun!"

You might not want to forget Manabe, her teaching is better than mine.

And so, this proves that Hirasawa Yui, a rather unique girl, is capable of anything when she put her all into it.


	12. Training Camp

It was a few days before summer vacation starts. And with no new games to play, I wondered how I will spend the long lasting vacation. Of course, the hot air can be felt in the non air conditioned clubroom.

"I think I'm gonna die."

It was the dying voice of the president, Tainaka Ritsu, lying down on the floor like a dead fish.

"Oh, good. At least there'll be less noise in the clubroom if you die." I said as I fanned myself with a notebook.

Tainaka let out a tired sigh. "Shut it, Yamamoto. I'm too weak to retort."

What I'm quite amazed at was the fact that the always smiling man that was sitting beside me didn't feel hot at all.

"What are you, the human torch? You didn't even break a sweat!" I said to Tanigawa, who kept smiling even in this air that could match the eternal flames of hell.

"Ah, I apologize. It seems that I have been accustomed to the air in my hometown. It was quite a scorcher there." Replied the gentleman as he turned his head to me.

As he answered my question, the door bursts open. I took a glance to see who the culprit of the loud noise was. It was Akiyama, with a serious expression. She walked inside, headed to the table, and turned around, facing all the dying members.

"We need a training camp!"

And with that, began the hellish club meeting. It was when we took our seats that Kotobuki came in, apologizing for her lateness.

Akiyama stated that the cultural festival is drawing near, and that we should practice to get better so we can put up a good show for the occasion. Her aura seems to amplify the burning atmosphere of the clubroom.

"What about the costs?" I asked.

"Uh… that's…" Akiyama turned her head to Kotobuki.

"Don't worry, I have a villa by the beach." Said the blonde. The members looked at her with surprise.

That was to be expected. Just look at this tea set she brought, it must've worth more than a hundred thousand yen! Who in their right minds would bring such an expensive item to school?

"That settles it, then. Now for the transportation…" continued Akiyama.

"We could go by car. I have a 7-seater at home." I suggested.

"Okay, that's a good choice- wait, who's driving?"

"Me." I plainly said. The air was pretty hot that it made me didn't want to let out many words.

"You can drive, Yamamoto?" asked Tainaka.

"Yeah."

"Well, I don't wanna die, so if you're alright I could go by train." mocked Tainaka.

"Trust me, you're not gonna die. A few missing body parts, maybe. But not dead."

"Okay, okay. So we'll head there using Yamamoto-kun's car." Said Akiyama, stopping us before we got to an all out verbal war.

Just before the meeting was disassembled, I asked one question.

"Can I invite Chihaya to come? I'm sure he won't be a nuisance."

"Ah, that's a good idea, Yamamoto-kun." Said Akiyama. "The more the merrier."

I flipped open my phone to call the sarcastic chef. Seconds after I pressed the 'call' button, I could hear the familiar voice of Chihaya.

"What do you want?" was his rude greeting.

"Shut it, Chihaya. I was wondering if you're free for the next week."

"I have a café to run, if you didn't notice." came the sarcastic reply from the other side.

"Just close it down for a while. We're going to the beach for summer. It's okay if you're not interested."

"Th- the beach?"

Gotcha. I always knew Chihaya loved the beach.

"What? You're not going? Okay, see you later then." I said with a smirk on my face.

"Wa- wait, wait, wait! I'm going! When and where?"

I must confess, I can't wipe off the smirk on my face that time. I told him to assemble at my house 6 am sharp. He agreed to do so.

"I don't wanna ride in your crappy car, so I'll bring my bike with me." The sarcastic chef said.

"Whatever, just don't be late."

"Just don't be surprised when you saw me, Hiromi." He added an evil laugh after he said that, and hung up.

What was that all about? Ah, I'll find out later. That guy's full of surprises.

And so, as the summer vacation reached its start, I woke up from my bed with a rather excited feeling. I always loved the beach, just like my father.

I loaded my luggage to the roof trunk attached to my dad's car. I took a glance at my watch… 5:45, the others should be here any minute now…

Just as I lit a cigarette to kill time, I heard the sound of a speeding vehicle going towards my house. I took a glance to see a man with a helmet, riding a motorbike. I guess that's Chihaya… wait, is he riding a Triumph?

The bike reached my house in a matter of seconds, the rider got off the steel horse and took off his helmet. My guess was right, it was the one and only sarcastic bastard.

"Surprised?" he said with a smirk.

I nearly dropped my cigarette. There stood a Triumph Bonneville T100, jet black, clean and shiny.

"Holy crap…" I mustered. "How did you get this?" I asked as I took a closer look at the bike

"You'll never know."

"You lucky bastard. If you're trying to make me jealous, it worked."

"Whoah! Cool bike!"

We turned our heads to the source of the voice, though I could tell without looking. It was Yui, with an expression of amazement planted on her face.

"Yui, you're pretty early." I said as I stood up.

She laughed her usual laugh. "I just happen to woke up early is all."

I raised one eyebrow at the airhead. Now that's suspicious… A girl like Yui can't get up early, accidental or not. Maybe it's her sister that woke her up. Yeah, that's one theory.

It didn't take long for the others to arrive, luggage in hand. They were pretty surprised when they saw that Yui is present, and had the same reaction as me. I loaded their stuffs to the trunk and told them to wait inside.

As I was still busy organizing the luggage, Kotobuki approached me.

"Hey, Yamamoto-kun. Didn't you find it strange for Yui-chan to be so early?" she said with the gentle smile still on her face. The others were inside already.

I loaded a rather heavy bag to the trunk. "Yeah, it got my attention."

"It's strange, she went to school when the bell almost rang. And she did it almost every day. But when we agreed to assemble at your house, she shows up early!"

"She might be excited to go to the beach. Or it's her sister that woke her up." I told Kotobuki my theory, which she didn't buy.

She chuckled and put up a hand to her chin. "I think it has something to do with you, Yamamoto-kun."

"What are you getting into?" I asked, turning my head to the rich lady.

"Oh, you'll know. Sooner or later." She said as she walked inside to join the others, humming in the process. I sighed at the sight.

"Women." I muttered.

I noticed that the entire luggage was loaded, so I went inside. The girls must've been really hungry, I feel guilty for abandoning them like that.

I walked to the dining room to saw the group chatting away, Chihaya and Tainaka were doing their usual routine: mocking each other 'till their heart's content.

"Sorry for the wait. I'll cook some breakfast." I told them, their heads turned to me. "Chihaya, help me out."

"Sorry, Hiromi. My eyes were blinded by the shiny forehead in front of me. It'll be bad if I put in the wrong ingredient." The chef said as he put up a hand to cover his eyes. The room went to a laugh.

"You might not want that nice bike of yours lose its tire, Momotaro." Tainaka retorted.

I sighed. Really, how old are these guys? "Just get your ass in the kitchen, Chihaya. We don't want to keep the ladies waiting." I said to the sarcastic man.

"Alright, let's get cookin'." He said as he got up his seat and followed me to the kitchen.

"Ah, I'll help too." Said Tanigawa as he stood up and followed suit.

We made simple breakfast. Pancakes and French toasts. Me and Chihaya had a lot of experiences in the kitchen from the past. Tanigawa however, didn't have any. So I took the chance to show him the basics. It's always fun teaching someone who wanted to learn, Tanigawa is a good example of one.

We returned back to the dining room with a huge plate of pancakes and French toasts. The girls were more than delighted to see the mountain of food coming out. I took out the maple syrup from the fridge and placed it on the center of the table.

"This is great! Who made it?" asked Tainaka as she took her first bite.

Chihaya stifled his laugh. "None other than the most awesome chef in the world, of course." He boasted.

The president held a fake expression of distaste. "Now I know that you made it, it's not that delicious." She said.

After those words, Tainaka kept gobbling the pancakes, though I could tell she's enjoying every bit of it. Like I've stated before, microexpressions are fun to learn.

After the meal was finished, we went outside, ready to hit the road.

"I'm taking the front seat!" Yui exclaimed suddenly.

And so, here are the seating arrangements:

Front: Yui and me.

Middle: Tainaka and Kotobuki.

Back: Akiyama and Tanigawa.

"Where is it located, Kotobuki?" I asked the owner of the villa.

"If you want to, you cloud talk to the landowner for the exact coordinates." She replied as she took out her phone.

"I'll do that." I said as I turned on the GPS.

Kotobuki handed me her phone, a few seconds later came an elderly voice from the other side.

"How may I help you?"

"Kind sir, I am speaking on behalf of Kotobuki Tsumugi. If possible, I wish to know the exact coordinates of the property she owns." I said as formally as I could.

"Just a second, sir." The older man replied.

A few page flipping sounds later, he told me the exact coordinates which I inputted to the GPS.

"I thank you for the trouble, sir." I thanked the old man.

"It is my job to do so, my good sir. Have a safe trip." He said before he hung up. I handed back the phone to its owner.

"Wow, I didn't know you could be so formal, Yamamoto." Tainaka said with amazement.

"You gotta respect the elderly, Tainaka." I said as I shifted the gear.

And so began our trip to the beach, with Chihaya following right behind us.


	13. The Huge Smallest Villa

"Alright! The Who!"

The song that came from the speakers of the car was The Seeker by The Who, which Tainaka really loved. We were in the countryside by then, and the beach will be seen pretty soon.

"Hey look, lovebirds." I said as I took a glance of the rear view mirror to see a sleeping Akiyama placing her head on a sleeping Tanigawa. The black haired girl twitched as I mentioned them.

"What? Where?" Tainaka looked outside the window.

"Behind all of you." I stated. The passengers turned their heads to the back seat.

"Aww, how cute." Kotobuki commented.

"Alright, picture time!" Tainaka drew out her camera from God knows where and aimed at the duo at the back.

**Click!**

Amazingly enough, the sound coming from the camera didn't wake them up. Must've been really tired to get up in the morning to assemble at my house.

"By the way, Yamamoto, do you have a driver's license?" Asked the tomboy as she put out her camera.

"A fake one, yeah." I stated plainly.

"What! Isn't that breaking the law?"

I scoffed at the president. "I'm aware. But I know what I'm doing, so I trained myself to drive like a licensed driver should."

"I see. You're right, I didn't feel sick a single bit after all these hours." Tainaka stated.

Suddenly, I heard Chihaya's bike accelerating. He tapped on my window and pointed forwards. I gave him the go ahead, and he blasted away.

"What does that mean?" asked Yui as she put up her index finger to her lips.

"That means he wanted to take a break. Well, my back is killing me anyways. Let's stop at the next rest area."

I spotted Chihaya's bike at the next rest area. I pulled over and stopped the engine.

"What should we do to the lovebirds?" asked Tainaka, getting ready to get out of the car.

I sighed as I took a glance at the duo. "Stop feigning your sleep, Akiyama. You might wanna stretch for awhile." I said as I opened the car door.

Akiyama jolted up, looking fresh as ever. "Wait, how did you know?"

I scoffed at the faker. "It's pretty obvious, you twitched when I told the others about you two." The other female members held up a smirk.

"Have we arrived yet?"

It was the sleepy voice of the gentleman, rubbing his eyes and yawning. Akiyama stared at him in fear of Tanigawa discovering her feign sleep.

"Hm? What's wrong, Akiyama-san? Do I have something on my face?" Tanigawa asked as he put up a hand to his face.

"A-ah, no… it's just… uh-" Akiyama stuttered.

…

Awkward silence.

"Man, my back's killin' me." I broke the silence as I got out of the car.

"Snack corner!" Yui exclaimed as she dashed towards the stands.

"I could use a cold drink right about now." Tainaka stated, walking towards the drink corner.

"I need use the bathroom." Kotobuki said as she left the duo alone in the car.

"Wait, you guys!" The black haired woman desperately tried to get out. Ha, getting out of the back seat is a quite a trouble.

We gathered at the snack corner after the girls were done with their businesses.

"Aren't you excited, Hiromi-kun?" came the voice of Yui, eating a potato chip.

"A bit, yeah." I replied.

"It's always fun when there're friends to go with you! Wherever we go, if we're together, it'll still be fun!" She said with that trademark childish smile on her face.

What is this feeling that I felt everytime I see her smile? Happiness? It kinda made me want to grin like an idiot.

Come to think of it, this is my first time going on a trip with friends. I must admit, though, it is quite fun. Having someone by your side the whole time, huh, it's been too long since I experienced that.

Not long after that, Chihaya came out from the smoking area.

"Ready to roll?" he asked, putting on his black leather jacket.

"Yeah, should be a half hour ride from here."

"Great, can't wait to smell the salty air of the beach." He said as he walked to his steel horse.

We went back to the car, feeling a bit refreshed. I started the engine and hit the road once again.

After a few minutes, we encountered a tunnel, it went for a few meters until the blinding sunlight greeted us again. To my right, there was a sight of a wide blue ocean. The surface of the water reflected the glaring sunlight above.

"Whoa, amazing!" Tainaka exclaimed as she leaned closer to the right window.

"If you want, Akiyama-san, we could switch sides." echoed the voice of the gentleman. He was sitting at the right side, gaining a full view of the ocean.

"Ah, it's okay. I'll just lean closer to the window." Replied the female bassist.

You just wanted to lean closer to Tanigawa, not the window, I thought to myself.

Yui tried to lean to my side too, I put up a hand to her face. "Don't block the driver's view." I stated plainly.

"Boo!" she pouted.

"We'll arrive in a few minutes. Be patient."

True to my words, we arrived at the Kotobuki property in a matter of minutes. I parked the car just outside the villa. We got out of the car and walked to the front of the building.

"I'm sorry, I only have the smallest one available." Stated the owner of the place with an apologetic look.

Wait, what? This is the smallest? This monstrous place? Holy crap, Kotobuki.

"Goddamn, this place's bigger than my café." Said the sarcastic chef, mouth agape.

"Well, you girls go on inside. Chihaya, Tanigawa, you know what to do." I said as I head back to my car, opening the trunk.

"Aaah, do we have to do this now? My back's killin' me." Whined the chef.

"Stop your bitching, Chihaya. Troublesome things are better done early." I said as I took the first luggage.

"I agree, let's be done with this quickly and rest for a while." Said Tanigawa with a smile as he grabbed the second luggage.

"C'mon, have mercy for an old man like me?" Chihaya whined, again.

"You're only 23, you goddamn idiot. Now get moving!" I said as I kicked him in the back.

We brought the luggage one by one to the living room. Inside, it's a spacious room complete with decorations. The windows to my front were wide, with the view of the beach clearly seen. At the center of the living room there's a table with chairs surrounding it, on the table was a basket of fruits in its freshest quality. All in all, it's a goddamn luxurious place.

I went to the garage with Tanigawa after all of the luggage was unloaded to see Akiyama and Kotobuki. The other girls' whereabouts were unknown.

The garage was loaded with expensive looking amplifiers and a drum set, ready to rock.

"It hasn't been used in a long time, I'm not sure if it still works." Stated the owner as she set up the keyboard.

Akiyama crouched down to inspect one of the amps. "This'll do just fine. Thanks, Mugi!"

We set up our instruments for a while, until the door bursts open.

"Let's go to the beach!" exclaimed the voice of Tainaka and Yui, ready with their swimsuits.

"Eh? What about practice?" asked Akiyama.

"We'll do that later, let's go!"

The duo bolted outside, cheering with excitement.

"Well, it's quite a tiring trip we have. For now, let's go have some fun, shall we?" The man with the never fading smile said, heading towards the stack of luggage to get his swim trunks.

"A-ah, I'll go with you!" Akiyama followed the man, completely forgetting her true intentions of going all the way out here.

I sighed at the sight. "Blinded by rainbows." I recited.

A small giggle can be heard beside me. "Isn't love wonderful, Yamamoto-kun?" Kotobuki asked me.

"I know zilch about this 'love' thingie. And no, I'm not interested." I plainly stated.

"Is that so? Are you really not interested?" she asked, turning her head to me, smile still on her face.

"I'm pretty sure I'm not." I said to her.

"Ah, well. Someday you will, Yamamoto-kun. I'm sure of it." She said as she began walking outside

I raised one eyebrow at the rich woman, she left the room with a smile still on her face.

"Whatever." I muttered. All I need right now is a smoke at the sandy beach, and nothing else.

Maybe a beer would be nice, too.


	14. Akiyama's Intentions

It was a sunny day at the beach of the Kotobuki property, with all the girls wearing their swimsuits, it's quite a sight for the perverts.

Of course, there are none between us three men. Don't worry.

"Where's the beer when you need it?"

That was, undoubtedly the sarcastic voice of Chihaya. He smoked a cigarette as he sat on the mat Kotobuki had handed us. The girls were out on the water, and us guys were sitting on the mat.

"It's a goddamn scorcher, having a beer at this temperature could kill you." I said as I lie down, the umbrella blocked the sunlight from getting to my vision.

"Tonight, then."

"Yeah."

"Oiii! You guys! Don't be such a couch potato, get in here!" Tainaka shouted, waving her arms wildly.

"Well, shall we?" said Tanigawa, getting ready to get up.

"Go on ahead. Tell the girls we'll be making lunch." The chef said, putting out his cigarette.

"Ah, should I help, then?" asked the gentleman.

"No, we got it. You go on ahead, Akiyama needs your company." I said as I got up, following Chihaya towards the villa.

"Pardon?" the gentleman's face turned into confusion.

"Nevermind. Just go."

Chihaya led the way to the villa with me following behind. The summer sun was shining brightly above us. If one were to crack an egg to the floor, it'll be cooked in a minute.

We arrived at the villa in a few seconds. Chihaya strode to the kitchen whilst humming. I guess this guy really loved cooking. As we arrived, he went straight to the fridge and opened it.

"Let's see what we've got here- Holy mother of God!"

I reflexively jolted my head to the fridge. Inside lies a big chunk of meat, seems to be a good quality. I can't really tell.

"This thing must've cost an arm and a leg!" Chihaya exclaimed. "Top quality meat, freshly bought… man, Kotobuki is loaded. We'll cook it for dinner. For now, let's cook something simple." The amused chef said, rummaging around the fridge.

"Sandwich?" I suggested.

"That'll do. Let's get it done, then."

Chihaya took out the required ingredients while I grabbed the knife to chop off the vegetables.

"Are you having fun, Hiromi?" the chef suddenly asked out of the blue.

"Kind of… with the beach and all." I answered whilst chopping a tomato.

"Are you… still scared?" he threw out another question, his voice lowered. He was referring to the fear of my friends discovering my true identity that is a son of a killer.

I narrowed my eyes, the melancholic feeling coming back to me. "…yeah" was my weak answer.

"I see… well don't. Just pretend that you're a normal guy for this occasion. Running away from reality is fine once in a while, as long as you don't run all the time."

"I'll never run, Chihaya. It's my destiny to face it, and I will."

"I know that, but think of the other people. The club won't be fully happy if there's one member that kept getting depressed." The chef said as he boiled the eggs. "I'm sure they want you to be happy. Especially Hirasawa. I don't know why, but she seems to be pretty fond of you."

That's quite a mystery on my side as well. "So you're saying I have to do this for other people?" I asked, making sure of his point.

"Precisely. Now, could you?" asked the chef, facing me with a sharp look on his face.

"I'll try."

The lunch was ready to be served in a matter of minutes. I took out a basket and placed the sandwiches inside. We went outside to be greeted by the sight of a sunset, a basket on each of our hands.

As soon as we arrived at the beach, the chef shouted. "Oiii! Lunch's ready!" The girls ran excitedly towards our direction. As they approached us, I noticed two certain members missing.

"Where are Tanigawa and Akiyama?" I asked the girls.

"The lovebirds are taking a walk. They headed that-a-way!" Tainaka said as she pointed towards my right. Yui was already rummaging through the baskets along with Kotobuki

"I'll go get them. You guys go on ahead." I said as I started to walk towards the direction where Tainaka had pointed. I spotted a couple of huge rocks there, so I assume that's where they're headed.

As soon as I got there, I overheard a conversation of the duo.

"The ocean is a thing of beauty. Don't you think so, Akiyama-san?" That was no doubt the voice of Tanigawa.

"It sure is." Replied Akiyama. I could imagine her smiling happily as Tanigawa talked to her.

The sound of the waves disrupted my eavesdropping, so I crawled closer to the couple, the rocks acting as my cover. Espionage was my father's specialty on the fields, after all.

"Hiroi umi (wide sea)." Akiyama recited.

Tanigawa chuckled. "It reminds me of our fellow club member. His name was written with the same kanji, if I'm not mistaken."

That's right, smiley face. My name is written with the hiro (big, wide) and the umi (sea) kanji.

"Speaking of Yamamoto-kun… I feel sorry for him." Akiyama said, breaking the brief moment of silence. "Both of his parents are gone, and he had been living alone for quite a long time." She continued, her tone of voice reflecting sorrow.

Oh, great. Now they're talking about me. Peachy.

"Is that so…" came the surprised voice of Tanigawa. "Then let us get rid of his sorrow on this summer trip, I do not want a friend of mine to live a life full of sadness."

I heard Akiyama chuckled. "Yes, that is actually one of the reasons I took the club to this trip. Let's inform the other members too, shall we?"

"That is my intention." Said the gentleman.

I was surprised. One of the reasons Akiyama suggested this trip was for me? This is just too kind. It's been such a long time since I've been treated like this. I reflexively smiled a wide smile, feeling happy that someone actually cared for my well being.

Well, that's enough eavesdropping. I crawled away from the duo and stood up. I intentionally stomped on the rocks on the way back to the couple. I spotted them sitting on a rather huge rock, side by side, facing the sunset, their heads turned towards the source of the stomping noise.

"Hate to disturb you guys, but lunch's ready. Go get them before Yui gobbled them up." I said, jerking my thumb to the others

"Ah, I'm sorry for the trouble, Yamamoto-san." Tanigawa apologized as he stood up. "Shall we?" he asked the long haired girl as he offered a hand to help her up.

"Yeah, let's go." Akiyama took the hand and stood up. The duo walked behind me as I led them to the group.

"Here comes the bride and groom!" exclaimed Chihaya as he spotted us approaching him.

The girls went to a laugh as they spotted us, resulting in a blushing Akiyama and Tanigawa.

"Sh-shut up, Chihaya!" Akiyama stuttered.

"Hey Mio-chan! Tanigawa-kun! Here, have a taste of the sandwich. It's pretty good!" Yui said as she handed them both the sandwiches.

I made those, actually. Knowing that Yui loved it, I can't help but notice an unknown feeling inside me. Ah, thinking about it is too much trouble. I think I'll just enjoy the clear view of the sunset.

The orange light that came from the sun rendered the whole area to a beautiful sight. The water from the ocean also reflected the light, creating a sparkly feeling on the ocean. The salty air can be smelled, and the sand can be felt on my feet. With the sounds of the waves and the happy chattering behind me, I couldn't think of anything more wonderful than this.

Well, I think I'm going to enjoy this trip.


	15. The Melancholy of Tainaka Ritsu

"I'm hungry!"

It was nighttime, and the club were relaxing in the living room of this huge villa. The girls were exhausted from playing at the beach, thus the schedule for practice was delayed. The voice I just heard came from none other than Hirasawa Yui, who is now rolling on the floor, starving to death.

"You just ate a basket full of sandwiches." I said, raising one eyebrow at the airhead.

"I'm still hungry!" she repeated.

I sighed, rubbing my temples. Looks like I have to make some food, she might die if this continues.

"Chihaya, let's get cookin'" I called out to my partner. He was lying on the couch, reading a magazine.

As soon as he heard me, he got up with excitement and followed me to the kitchen. It seems he was excited in using the meat we saw this afternoon.

"Ah, I'll help too!" Tainaka got up from her seat and followed Chihaya.

"Hold it Tainaka, we don't want the people here to get food poisoning." Said the chef jokingly as he put up a hand to the president's face. The room went to a laugh.

"Shut it, Momotaro. I'll show you what I'm capable of!" Tainaka said as she slapped the hand in front of her.

"Alright, alright, let's get to the kitchen, kids." I said to the two idiots. "Yui could die any second, now."

The three of us headed to the kitchen. We agreed curry would be the menu for the night, so I took out the vegetables from the fridge. We chopped up the vegetables in silence for a while, until the sarcastic chef decided to tease Tainaka for the nth time.

"You know, Tainaka… I think I saw some stomach medicine in the bathroom. So it's okay if you want to cook."

Tainaka's chopping speed increased. "Why are you so sarcastic, Momotaro? It makes me wonder…" she smirked. "…If you're an unwanted child or something."

"CHIHAYA!" I shouted at the top of my lungs.

Oh crap… that was my reflex acting up. The room went to an awkward silence, and the other members ran up to the kitchen to check if everything's alright.

"What?" Chihaya asked with a bit of annoyance.

"The uh- you forgot the beer." That was my reason in shouting so suddenly. How lame.

"I'm using your money." He stated.

"Whatever… just go. I can't sleep without a dose of alcohol tonight."

He went outside, grabbing his leather jacket and my wallet. Few seconds later, I heard his bike's engine roaring, indicating he was gone.

I sighed, feeling I should explain the sudden shouting. "Everybody, please listen up." I said, getting their attention. "Please refrain from using Chihaya's childhood when you're insulting him. He's a bit… sensitive about that."

Tainaka looked at me with a worried face. "What happened exactly, Yamamoto?"

There's too much to tell. I believe I should begin from the start… "Let's just say his childhood isn't all sunshines and rainbows. He doesn't experience the happiness of a normal child, no playing games after school, no talking about what's on the TV just yesterday, no nothing. His father was a gambler, came home every night reeking of alcohol, dead drunk. When he feels like it, he'll beat up his wife, then his son."

I narrowed my eyes as I stopped chopping the carrot, I remembered every single word that the chef said to me when he told me of his past.

"The only thing that kept him going is her mother. She was a nice woman, very patient in dealing with everything. But despite her nice personality, she had a weak body. She died when Chihaya was 6, leaving her son alone with the bastard of a father." I continued my story, the room was filled with sorrow from hearing the chef's former life. "It wasn't long 'till the father did an act that made him taken into custody." I closed my eyes, remembering the most unhumane thing that I've ever heard. "He tied up his son's legs to the train tracks one night. Just before there was a train to be seen, an old lady spotted the struggling child and helped him. Chihaya told the old lady of his father's doing, and called the police."

"Oh- oh my God." Akiyama stuttered, clinging to Tanigawa. "I can't imagine having a childhood like that and still living to this day…"

"I know. He is a strong man." I said before continuing. "Anyway, Chihaya was taken to the orphanage and lived there for quite some time. The lady who took care of the kids saw Chihaya's talent in cooking and he was sent to a small restaurant. He worked there in the youth of 16. The goddess of fortune had smiled upon him, apparently his boss was a friend of the owner of a famous restaurant. Seeing Chihaya was young and talented, he was sent to the said famous restaurant."

"Then why did he own a café?" Tainaka asked me with an expression of sorrow mixed with confusion.

"The story's not over yet. The owner of this famous restaurant was an old man, he died of a heart attack one night. Apparently, he gave his title to the talented chef that is Chihaya. The other staffs were pissed off. There were people that worked there for several years, and yet the restaurant was handed to the young man that only had a few years of experience. The enraged staffs beat up the young chef to his dying state, took a whole month to recover. Chihaya sold the restaurant as he recovered, making the staffs lose their jobs. With loads of money in hand, he bought a small house to live and a small café to have a fresh start." I finished my story with a sigh. I don't think I'll be living today if I were to stand in his shoes.

"I don't believe it… Chihaya-kun always looked cheerful all the time. I never thought his life is full of hardships…" whispered Kotobuki as she wept the tears off her eyes. I noticed all the members were teary eyed. Save Tanigawa who only managed to lose his smile.

"Yeah… behind that sarcastic mask of his, lies an unforgettable pain. He once said to me that there's always someone worse than you. But to this day, I can't find someone that's worse than him." I took a glance at Tainaka, she seems to be feeling very guilty. Ah, they'll make up later. "So please… I beg you guys. The reason I invited Chihaya to this trip was to make him happy. He didn't have any friends from his earlier life, much less going on a trip." I said to the others.

"We will do our best. He's a friend of ours, and we don't want our friend to be unhappy, isn't that right everyone?" Tanigawa said as he regained his trademark smile.

"Yeah! Of course!" yelled Yui after a sniff, her usual cheerful self is back.

I smiled at the kind people in front of me. "Thanks, guys. Now Tainaka… I believe you should have a little talk with the guy." I told the still melancholic president beside me.

"Yeah… I'll do that. Thanks for telling me, Yamamoto." She replied with her voice still low.

"Good. Now let's get back to cooking." I said as I continued my work.

A few minutes later, Chihaya came back with a plastic bag full of beer. We continued our work in silence, and went to the dining room with our hands full of food.

The members were once again complimenting the food that the young chef had made. He seems too pleased to hear the nonstop praise coming from them. At the meantime, Tainaka ate in silence. It's not like herself to be the quiet one, I thought to myself.

After dinner, we went to our respective rooms. I'd thought of having a beer for a moment, but since I'm feeling really tired, I lied down on the bed and closed my eyes.

…

Can't sleep.

I got up from my bed and strode my legs to the kitchen, getting a can of beer from the fridge. I also took my smoke and an ashtray and went outside. I figured the huge rock that Akiyama and Tanigawa were sitting on just this afternoon was a great place to have a smoke.

As I opened the door leading to the beach, a chilly breeze greeted me. The moon and the stars can be seen clearly in the night, pretty different from the city where all you could see were black skies and helicopters.

It wasn't long until I could feel the sand on my feet again. Among the sounds of the waves, I could hear a melody, a melody so soothing that could hypnotize you to sleep almost instantly. I saw the source of the soothing sound just ahead, at the rocks that is my destination. It was Chihaya, playing his flute. That guy never wanted to play his flute when there're people around. Knowing that, I sneaked my way to the rocks and hid beneath a quite huge rock. Damn this place's full of barnacles.

As I listened to the soothing melody, I knew instantly what the song was. Speak Softly Love… also known as The Godfather's Theme. I really wanted to open the can of beer now, but it'll be troublesome if I'm spotted. As a solution, I synchronized the sound of the waves hitting the rocks with me opening the can. It worked, for the man with the flute kept playing his tune without suspicion.

A few swigs later, I heard footsteps from the rock above me. It was light, slow, and not consistent. Must be a female in a melancholic mood, unsure what to do. I've got a good guess of who it was.

Chihaya stopped playing his flute as he heard the footsteps. "Can't sleep?" he asked, his tone of voice sounding concern.

"Yeah…" came the answer. My guess was right, it's Tainaka. "Didn't know you could play the flute, Momotaro." She stated, taking a seat. I could see their legs from here.

"Apparently, I'm not quite satisfied with the title of 'The Awesome Chef' so I trained myself to be a 'The Awesome Flute Playing Chef'." He said with his usual tone.

I could hear Tainaka giggling. "Play a song for me, would you?" she said.

That's impossible, Tainaka. Chihaya would never-

"Alright." Agreed the chef

Wait, what? I thought he'd never play his flute in front of people! What the hell!

He started Speak Softly Love from the beginning. Man this tune's making me sleepy along with the sound of the waves. As he reached the end of the song, I could hear a sob coming from the president. I could also see her legs shaking.

"What's wrong, Tainaka? My awesome skills brought you into tears?" Chihaya jokingly asked the sobbing tomboy.

"I'm sorry…" was her answer. The voice was pretty low that I could hardly hear it.

"Come again?" asked the chef, confusion can be heard from his voice.

Tainaka sobbed again, louder this time. "I'm sorry for insulting you all the time, Chihaya… I didn't know you had a hard life…"

"What do you me- oh… Hiromi told you about it, huh?" Chihaya came to realization rather quickly. I could hear him chuckling after that. "Don't worry. I'm fine now… Things have gotten better since I met that guy."

I raised my head to see the duo were sitting side by side, facing the dark ocean with Tainaka sobbing in the chef's shoulder.

"And things have gotten much better with you around."

Chihaya said that in a really low voice that even I, the person who was gifted with a sharp hearing, could barely heard what he had said.

"What?" Tainaka didn't seem to hear what the chef just said. She looked up to his face, eyes still letting out fresh tears.

"Nothing. Alright, now get to bed. You shouldn't be staying up this late." Chihaya said as he got up and offered the lady a hand. She took it and the duo were off back to the villa. I watched their backs slowly disappearing to the dark of the night.

I jumped out of my hiding spot after making sure they were gone. I took a seat at the edge of the huge rock that the duo just sat on. The cigarette I was holding the entire time was now lit, letting out a smoke that could kill people in a harsh way.

"I guess I've just heard something that I shouldn't have." I muttered to myself. Ah, well. Secrets are safe with me, Chihaya, don't you worry.

Jon Bon Jovi had stated in his song, Wanted Dead or Alive: 'In times when you're alone, all you do is think.' Well, I guess that's true. I couldn't help but think about that earlier conversation between the two. I never guessed that Chihaya would have a love interest in Tainaka. Hell, I thought that guy would never fall in love. It's amazing how this crazy little thing called 'love' could make someone out of character.

"How goddamn romantic." I said sarcastically, putting out the remains of my smoke.


	16. Indirectly what?

_There's a lady who's sure all that glitters is gold And she's buying the_ _stairway to heaven_.

The time was 6 in the morning, and three people were jamming together in the garage. The three people consist of Tanigawa, Chihaya and me. I've slept only for a few hours due to my habit of rising early in the morning. Founding nothing else better to do, I took the liberty of inviting the guys to a jam session. The girls haven't waked up yet, their stamina was drained due to the non-stop playing at the beach just the other day.

The male bassist of our club was following along with the keyboard, and the chef was sitting at the stool behind the drum set. The drums came along at the last part, so Chihaya took the chance to light a cigarette. Me, I'm doing my part as a guitarist along with the vocals.

We reached the part where the drums came in. Unexpectedly, the sarcastic chef could also play the drums. He was doing pretty well at maintaining the beat of the song. It wasn't long until the guitar solo took over the song. With all my might, I've nailed it without missing a single note. Playing with an expensive amplifier made my adrenaline pumped.

_And she's buying the stairway to heaven…_

And so, the song ended perfectly without a single mistake.

"Flawless victory." The chef said, imitating a voice from a game that I don't want to mention.

"Good job, both of you." The gentleman said, followed with a few claps.

"Alright, come out all of you!" I shouted to the door. I just knew those girls were behind the door. Their noisy comments can be heard clearly from my side.

I opened the door, and the female members all fell down due to their leaning to the previously closed door. Yui was on the front of the line, behind her was Akiyama, Kotobuki and Tainaka. I noted that all of them were still in their just-woke-up state.

I sighed at the sight. "Seriously, you could've just opened the door and watch."

Yui crawled out from the pile of girls. She laughed her usual laugh while scratching her head.

Akiyama got up and cleared her throat. "We don't want to disturb you. If we came in, it'll affect your performance."

"Whatever. Now let's get some breakfast ready." I said as I put down my guitar and turning off the amplifier.

"What's wrong, Tainaka? You looked like you didn't get enough sleep." Chihaya said with a smirk as he got up from his seat.

The tomboy president blushed, probably remembering the events of last night. "Sh-shut up! I'm not an early riser!" she stated loudly.

Chihaya laughed triumphantly, confusing the other members. Ah well, some tales are best left untold.

The chefs for the morning would be the usual: Chihaya, Tainaka and me. It feels really awkward standing between the two of them after remembering last night's conversation. I'm feeling like I'm an obstacle for the two.

I decided to leave the duo alone, it'll be better for them and for me. "I don't feel like cooking this morning. I'll leave it to you two." I said as I tossed the apron I'm wearing to the counter.

"Well, your help isn't needed anyway. Get out of here, you slacker." The head chef said sarcastically. I just knew that he wanted me to leave the two of them alone.

I had the urge to go to the beach again, so I snuck out of the villa and took a stroll at the seashore.

The air couldn't get any fresher in the morning. Though the sun was glaring as if it was angry at me, I'm actually enjoying the familiar salty air and the sound of the waves. I took a step to the rocks from last night and sat there, enjoying the view of the blue ocean along with the skies.

As I closed my eyes, I felt a sharp pain coming from my left index finger. I reflexively pulled my hand and saw the culprit of the cut. It was a small crab, with his pincher stained with my blood.

"You son of a-"I swore as I kicked the crab to the waters.

I walked back to the villa, sucking on my injury. It's not that painful, it's just annoying. I won't be able to play the guitar for a while.

I reached the huge building in a matter of seconds. "Do we have a band aid or something? I'm bleeding to death." I announced to everyone in the living room, showing the small cut. Tainaka and Chihaya were still in the kitchen.

Akiyama looked like she's about to faint when she saw my blood. Fortunately there was Tanigawa to calm her down. Kotobuki ran to the bathroom to get a first aid kit.

Yui ran up to me. "I know how to heal it quickly!" she said, a serious look on her face.

"How?" I asked with uninterest.

Suddenly, she took my hand and put the wounded finger in her mouth. I could feel my face heat up when she did that, and reflexively pulled out my finger.

"What the hell are you-"

"Saliva could heal wounds quickly!" she stated with her serious face still intact.

"I already did that!" I said to the airhead.

"Does that mean you guys just indirectly kissed?"

The room went to a silence as the heads were turned to the source of the voice, Kotobuki Tsumugi, appearing from God knows where and when, with her usual smile on her face and a first aid kit on her hands.

…

Another awkward silence.

"Just- uh… give me that." I stumbled on my own words, snatching the first aid kit from the smiling woman's hands.

I applied the band aid without looking anywhere else. Though I could feel all the eyes were on me, I don't really want to see their expressions. I could imagine Kotobuki and Akiyama smirking, and Tanigawa with his trademark smile. I don't even wanna know what kind of expression Yui held. Stupid crab. Stupid me for not being aware of a crab.

"Breakfast's rea- whoa, what happened here?" Tainaka appeared from the kitchen, Chihaya following behind her.

"Yamamoto-kun and Yui-chan were kis-"

"I got pinched by a crab and was bleeding. That is all." I said, stopping Kotobuki from saying anything unnecessary.

Both the tomboy and the chef were confused. "Oookay. Now get your pancakes while they're hot." Chihaya said, raising an eyebrow.

"Pancakes!" Yui exclaimed as she skipped towards the dining room.

We ate our breakfast with the usual chatting and rambling. Akiyama and Kotobuki were smirking the whole time, which annoyed me. Like usual, Chihaya's pancakes were delish.

"Hey, Chihaya. Any tip on how to be a good chef?" asked Akiyama with a hint of curiosity in her tone.

Chihaya smiled proudly, his eyes shone with excitement. "Well, cooking is a combination of technique and soul. If you could cook well, but without feelings, the results won't be good. The same will happen if you put your all into it, but don't have any experience in the kitchen." He folded his arms and pointed his nose high into the air. "But to me, the secret to good cooking is to keep who's going to eat it in mind."

You're just quoting Naomi from MGS4. I'm gonna sue you for that.

The others were amazed by the chef's theory of good cooking. Ah well, it's not like they all played MGS4.

Apparently, after breakfast was done, Tainaka and Yui ran to the beach with their swimsuits on. Resulting in a desperate Akiyama who was comforted by Tanigawa.

"I want our club to be as good as the previous club." The black haired girl stated after sighing. She then took out a cassette player from her bag.

As she pressed the 'play' button, came out the shredding sound of a death metal music. God, I hate this. The track stopped after a few minutes of guitar shredding and drums banging.

I sighed as the music ended. "Akiyama, Chihaya had stated before that cooking is a combination of technique and soul. The same goes for music." I pointed at the cassette player. "That is just a presentation of technique. Sure the guitar player is fast, but 'fast' doesn't mean it's 'good'."

"I must agree with Yamamoto-san. A good example of a band that shows both are The Rolling Stones, Queen, The Beatles… there are many more, but I think it'll take too much time if I were to recite them one by one." Tanigawa agreed with me, he really does have the same interest as me.

"Is that so…" Akiyama said with an expression that looks like a child that had just learned something valuable.

"Yeah, the key to making good music is harmony. And harmony is created by combining both technique and soul." I said to the tallest girl in our club. Man, I feel like a professional musician.

"Well, I'm sure the band could play well in the cultural festival. For now, let's just think of this trip as a vacation." Said Tanigawa as he put a hand on Akiyama's shoulder. Of course, his smile still intact.

Akiyama blushed as she looked up to the gentleman's face. "O-okay, I think I'll join the others." She said before scurrying away from the room.

"You sure know how to make a woman flattered." I said to the smiling man.

He laughed lightly before making a statement. "I am merely acting on what my brains told me to."

And so, the rest of the day were spent on the beach. Akiyama challenged me to a watermelon smashing game. Well, challenge accepted. The watermelon was placed on top of a mat to keep the sands from getting in when smashed. I analyzed the distance between me and the watermelon, seems to be around 4 steps. After giving me a stick, they blindfolded me with a piece of cloth and spun me around.

Let's see… spun to the right, three times 360°, plus a 90°. That means the watermelon is to my left. I turned 90° to the left and took 4 steps forward. With all my might, I swung down the stick to end the life of the huge, green, rounded fruit.

The result was perfect. The watermelon got smashed to bits, revealing its red flesh along with a few black seeds inside it.

"Rest in pieces." I quoted Duke Nukem.

The members were amazed by my precision. It seems having the blood of a mercenary running in your veins is a good thing sometimes.

We ate the fresh fruit in delight. There's nothing more enjoyable than a juicy watermelon while sitting under the burning summer sun.

The fun continues 'till the night cometh. And Kotobuki had brought us fireworks. The colorful light coming from it changed the dark night to a land of colors. I noticed there were a few fireworks lined up in a straight line. Just as I wanted to ask, Yui came out with her guitar on her hands, and stood up in front of the line of fireworks.

"Now!" she shouted.

The fireworks blew up simultaneously, rendering Yui's background to a sparkly colorful rainbow. She played the intro of 'Jumpin' Jack Flash' I had taught her. I was amazed, astonished at the sight, my eyes were wide and mouth agape.

It's too beautiful…

Suddenly, a clicking sound was heard to my right. I shifted my eyes to see Kotobuki aiming her camera to me.

"What the hell are you doing?" I asked her, regaining my usual frowning expression.

"It's a rarity to see you surprised, Yamamoto-kun. So I figured a picture would be nice." She answered with her usual gentle smile.

"Whatever." I muttered. "But it sure is beautiful."

"Isn't it?" Kotobuki agreed. "I'm glad you liked it, Yamamoto-kun. It was the club's idea to do this."

"Well, they have my thanks." I said as I shifted my eyes back to Yui. We made eye contact for a while, until a second wave of astonishment hit me.

That was, when she smiled sweetly.

Her lips curled up without opening, eyes were half-closed, cheeks slightly red. The colorful background amplified the softness of her smile, like she was the only shining light in the darkness of the night. I was lost for a few seconds until the fireworks died.

"Eh? It's over?" Yui said, finishing with a windmill of an 'A' chord.

"Well, the budget's low this month… so yeah." Tainaka stated.

"At least Yamamoto-kun enjoyed it." Echoed Kotobuki, the others turned their heads to me. "Isn't that right, Yamamoto-kun?"

What? Why do you ask me? "It's uh- decent." I lied. It was pretty good, actually.

"Fun fact of the day: Yamamoto Hiromi is not good at lying." Chihaya piped up, beer in hand. Of course, the others went to a laugh.

"Okay, it was great." I gave up. I must've twitched while stating the previous statement.

"It's all thanks to Hiromi-kun! He taught me, after all!" Yui exclaimed, running up to me. One thing about Yui: she's an airhead. She is often oblivious of the situation she's in. And now, she forgot that her guitar is still plugged to the amplifier, and the cable is only a few meters long!

"Yui, wait!" I shouted to the running girl. Too late! The cable reached its limit and Yui tripped. Fortunately, my reflex caught up. I ran towards her and slid down the grassy ground to protect her head from hitting it. A few milliseconds later, I felt her head hitting my chest. A baseball fan would shout 'safe!' right about now.

"Owww…" moaned the girl on top of me. Her guitar sandwiched between us.

"You alright?" I asked her, looking at her face for any damages. There seems to be none.

Yui slowly raised her head up, sitting on me. "Yeah, thanks to you Hiromi-kun!" she shot me another one of those childish smiles. "You saved my life!"

Well, that's just over exaggerating. I just saved your nose from breaking.

Click!

Ain't that a familiar sound. I turned my head to Kotobuki. Sure enough, she was aiming her camera to us, smiling behind the device.

Yui stood up, completely oblivious of the clicking camera.

"Could you at least turn the shutter sound off?" I said with a rather irritated tone to the happily smiling camerawoman.

"Well, this isn't my camera, Yamamoto-kun. So I'm not really familiar with the settings." Kotobuki stated, keeping her happy smile intact.

Lies.

I turned my head to the airheaded girl. "Just be careful next time. Think before you act." I said to her, to which she responded by scratching her head and letting out a nervous laugh.

"Another fun fact of the day: Despite his badass act and look, Yamamoto Hiromi is a man with the heart of an angel." Chihaya piped in again, earning another laugh from the club.

"Shut up." I said to him.

The night ended with the club piling up at the living room, with their futons laid down on the floor. It seems they were planning on sleeping here.

"It's more fun to sleep together!" Yui stated the reason of the act.

"Hey, Hiromi. How about a round of 'Mercenaries'?" Chihaya said as he showed me a copy of Resident Evil 5. He was rummaging through the cabinet below the TV a minute before.

"Hell yeah. It's been too long." I said as I sat down beside him, facing the huge LED TV. The other members (save Kotobuki) seem to be sleeping already.

The PS3 booted, showing a wallpaper of a small child along with her family. They were sitting on a grassy field, seems to be a garden of some sort. The child was smiling happily, with her parents sitting beside her. What I conclude from the picture was it's a happy family photo.

"That was me, along with my parents. I was 6 year old then." Kotobuki stated, she was sitting on the couch behind us.

"Really, that's just lovely." Chihaya said, not being sarcastic for once.

"Are you the only child, Kotobuki?" I asked her.

"Yes. As you can see, that's the reason I'm pretty much spoiled." She replied. I took a glance at the blonde, she was showing a sad smile. "I don't really like being rich like this. That's why I asked my parents to let me commute to school by foot. I wanted to be a normal person." She sighed as she put up a hand to her chin. "I don't have any close friends from junior high, they mostly befriended me for my money."

I scoffed at the heiress. "Well, that's just a factor of luck, actually. Your friends from middle school just happen to be greedy bastards. But them," I looked at the sleeping members. "They are genuine. They don't care about your status or money or whatever. All that matters is your heart, your feelings for them." I took a glance to the screen, the main menu shows up. "So please, Kotobuki. Don't misunderstand them as people that only want your money" I turned my head back to her.

Kotobuki seems surprised, with her staring at me wide eyed. The expression of surprise turned to a genuine smile, she regained back her original self. "Yes, I'm aware of that. They never once asked me for my money. Well, the villa is an exception. But this doesn't cost me at all, my father owns the place after all."

"Yep, I guess you could say you're 'normal' already." I said as I looked back to the screen. I pressed the PS button to turn on the controller. Like old times, I chose Wesker and Chihaya used Jill.

"Y'know, I don't think I remember all the locations of the time bonuses." Chihaya stated at the loading screen.

"Well, let's just go with the flow." I said to him, the game started.

I started with running around to the time bonuses whilst meleeing the majinis. Chihaya kept the combo going well.

"You shouldn't shoot the barrel, that'll only lessen your chance to melee them."

We turned our heads to the couch, Kotobuki was smiling her usual smile. Wait, how did she know the tactics of 'Mercenaries'?

"It's uh- accidental." Chihaya stated, feeling a bit confused along with me.

Come to think of it… The Mercenaries shouldn't be available if the game isn't completed, and Wesker and Jill would still be locked if you don't get at least a 'B' rank in certain stages. That means…

Kotobuki is gamer!

Chihaya realized the fact at the same time as me. We looked at each other, wearing a surprised face.

"Uh, you play games Kotobuki?" Chihaya asked whilst shooting the legs of the majinis.

"Yes. A lot, actually." She stated calmly.

Well, that was unexpected. I know she's rich and all, but to think she's a hardcore gamer is just… disturbing.

"Here comes the axe dude." Chihaya stated, I ran towards his direction to assist him.

"WAAH!"

We turned our heads to the sleeping pile of girls, and saw Akiyama in a fetal position covering her eyes with a blanket.

"Damn it Akiyama, it's not even scary." I stated. "And what the hell are you doing, awake at this hour?" The others were awoken by Akiyama's shouting, and were confused.

"Now, now, Akiyama-san. It's just a game." Tanigawa sleepily comforted her.

To get scared by Resident Evil 5. Now that's just abnormal. Pretty sure she hasn't played the first Silent Hill or Fatal Frame. Since the all the members are up, they couldn't get to sleep again. And so, they watched us play.

"Hey, this looks fun. Lemme play!" Tainaka exclaimed, her hair still a mess.

"Hush, leave this to the pros." Chihaya said without moving his head.

"Let the round be over, Tainaka-san. I am quite interested in this game, too." Spoke the voice of Tanigawa.

And so, we scored a 300k. Not bad for a first try.

"Let's start from the beginning, shall we?" The man with the never fading smile said, leaving the 'Mercenaries' screen.

"Bring it on!" Tainaka exclaimed, snatching the wireless controller from Chihaya's hand.

I moved myself to the couch, sitting beside Kotobuki. It's always interesting to watch other people play.

I noticed something tugging my shirt as the first cutscene plays. It was Kotobuki, she was pointing at Akiyama, then to Tanigawa.

What, you want Akiyama to be at Tanigawa's side? It took a moment for me to understand the gesture. Now I get it. When Akiyama got scared, she'll cling to Tanigawa for sure. I nodded, understanding Kotobuki's intentions.

"Move it, Akiyama. I want to lie down." I said as I threw my body to the comfy futon. Akiyama automatically moved forwards, sitting behind Tanigawa, peeking over his right shoulder.

"Wah! What are they beating inside that bag!" The scared girl exclaimed, seems to be crushing Tanigawa's shirt.

I snickered at the reaction. Nobody would be freaked out at that. I took a glance to Kotobuki, she gave me a thumbs up.

They reached the part where the majinis put the parasite to a man's mouth.

"Ugh, gross." Tainaka stated.

I heard a familiar click from the couch. Well, you guessed it. Kotobuki were taking pictures of Akiyama clinging to Tanigawa.

"I don't get it. If you're scared, why bother watching?" I asked the cowardly woman.

"I'm… uh- curious." She lied.

"I don't think so." I said as I sat up, leaning to the couch.

"Then why do you think I'm watching this?"

I simply pointed to the back of the gentleman.

"Uh…"

**Bang! Bang! Bang!**

Akiyama's speech was interrupted by the sound of gunshots coming from the TV.

"You idiot! Don't be shooting recklessly like that!" Chihaya yelled at Tainaka, who kept shooting the majini like there is infinite ammo.

"What, why?" she asked calmly.

"Ah, if I remember correctly, the key to surviving Resident Evil is conserving ammo. Am I right?" Tanigawa said, shooting out less ammo than Tainaka.

"Yeah," I said. "If you kept wasting your ammo, you'll suffer at the boss fight. Try meleeing. Shoot the head, and punch the bastard to oblivion."

Tanigawa aimed at the majini's head and shot a round. The majini went to a stun, and Tanigawa ran up to him. As he drew closer, the 'straight' command shows up. And so, came Chris' straight punch that could almost match the power of falcon punch.

"Cool!" Tainaka exclaimed. She tried to do the same, only to miss from shooting the majini's head, and earned a sickle to the face.

Chihaya went to a laugh. "You suck, Tainaka!"

"Shut up! I'm doing my best!" she irritatingly exclaimed.

"You panic too much, try aiming with a cool, calm, and collected feeling." The chef stated.

With Chihaya's guide, Tainaka succeeded in her first melee strike.

"Here comes the axe dude again." Chihaya stated, pointing at the screen. Akiyama was… well, I'll leave that to your imagination. One thing for sure, she's messing up Tanigawa's aiming, which the gentleman, being the gentleman he is, doesn't mind.

"Alright! I'm gonna smack him out of his misery!" Tainaka exclaimed.

"Wait, Tainaka!"

**SLAM!**

The axe went down on Tainaka, earning her a dying state. Tanigawa was quick to react and helped her.

"The axe dude cannot be meleed unless he's stunned. And shooting that big guy in the head with a 9mm pistol isn't gonna help." Chihaya stated.

"What! How should I know!"

"Logic." The sarcastic chef calmly answered.

I smiled at the sight. Friends, gathering together in the middle of the night, playing games. It's an experience I've never felt before. Is this what they said as a happy school life? I wonder…

_You still have a secret that you kept_. My conscience said to me.

Yeah, that's right. I can't be too happy 'till I let them know. I think I'll just keep my identity a secret for the meantime. I don't want this happiness to end anytime soon.

I'll run away for a while.

I excused myself outside for a smoke. The chilly, salty breeze greeted me once again. I lit the unfiltered cigarette on my mouth. As I gazed at the stars, I wondered how my life will turn out. Will I be happy? Will they discover my true identity? Will they leave me alone when they found out? Or will they accept me as the way I am? There are too many questions, and yet not a single answer. I think I'll just let God do his work. I don't care what's going to happen to me, I've dealt with being alone before, if He threw me into the bottomless pit of loneliness once again, I'll be able to deal with it.

The sound of the door sliding open snapped me out of my dreams.

"What do you want?" I said to the culprit of the door opening.

"Just wanted to talk." She said, with that childish smile on her face. She walked and stood to my right.

Hirasawa Yui. Truth be told, I'm quite envious of her. She lived such a carefree life without problems, and never once I saw her in sorrow or anger, she's always smiling.

"Are you lonely, Hiromi-kun?" she asked out of nowhere. The wind is blowing towards my left, so I didn't bother to put out the smoke.

"Why did you ask that?"

"I've heard about you, from Mio-chan."

"Is that so… well, to answer your question, I'm not really lonely. Well, I was, but now I've gotten used to it. It doesn't really bother me that much." I said to her. I looked at her face, she gazed at the skies, looking serious for once.

"Well, Hiromi-kun…" she turned her head to me, smiling a sweet smile that made me lost just about an hour ago. "Don't worry." She said.

I stared at her face wide eyed. those words… those were father's last words before he left me.

"I will always be by your side." Yui said. "Er- I mean, we will always by your side, the light music club." She corrected herself, then added a nervous laugh.

"Thanks…" I muttered, looking away from her face. I can't help but notice my heart was beating a lot faster than usual. "A-anyway… let's get inside. You'll catch a cold." I said to her, putting out my smoke.

We went inside to see the people were still having fun with the game. We didn't sleep 'till morning, and it was labeled as the most fun night I've ever been. 6 am sharp, the gang were sleeping soundly on their respective futons.

My fear has increased, now I am close to them, I don't know how I'd feel if they were to discover the truth and left me.

I'm scared.


	17. Advisor

Summer is over, and the previously green leaves were now mostly on the ground, wilting to death. We've entered the curriculum period once again, and the club is back in business. I am now relaxing my quite tired mind in the music room's bench, with Yui sitting beside me, her guitar in hand.

"Ow!"

I turned my head to the girl beside me. It seems Yui's finger is hurt.

"What's wrong?" I asked with a hint of worry.

She showed me her finger, which had a little skin peeled off.

"Well, this is normal. That's just one process you have to endure in order to play the guitar well." I said to her. "Come on, let's go to the nurse's office." I stood up, Yui followed suit.

As we arrived, there was no one inside. Well, I guess it's my job. I took a bottle of disinfectant, a ball of cotton, and a band aid. I soaked the cotton with disinfectant and ordered Yui to show her fingers.

"Hold still. This is gonna sting." I warned her. She braced herself as I said that.

I pressed the cotton to her wound, and she let out a little grunt. Strong girl… most women would've screamed on top of their lungs if they were treated like this. I applied the band aid after making sure the wound is disinfected.

Yui showed me her finger, smiling childishly. "Thank you, Hiromi-kun!"

"Here, the fingers of a true guitar player." I showed her my left fingers. She grabbed and felt it one by one.

"It's hard!" She stated

"Yeah, you still have a long way to go." I said as I patted her head. But I believe she'll be able to play nicely in no time, she's a talented girl after all.

We went back to the clubroom to find Kotobuki had returned from the teacher's room. She was asked by Akiyama to fill out the form for using the hall when the cultural festival started.

"How is it?" I asked her.

"Well, it turns out that the light music club is not recognized as an official club by this school." Kotobuki stated sadly.

"Figures." I muttered.

"This is a conspiracy! I thought we had more than 3 members!" Raged the president.

"The requirement of starting a club isn't just more than 3 members, you also have to fill some kind of form." I said to Tainaka.

"Come to think of it… have you handed the form yet, Ritsu?" Akiyama asked.

"Uh… I don't remember…"

"You idiot!" yelled Akiyama as she pinched the president in the cheeks.

"Well, the right thing to do now is to ask the school committee for the form and fill it. Shall we?" Tanigawa piped in, standing up from his seat.

We all went to the school committee room. As I opened the door, I was greeted by the familiar sight of Manabe Nodoka, still in high spirits. I let the girls in first, then Tanigawa, I followed suit, closing the door.

"Manabe, could you see if the light music club is listed on the database?" I asked the glasses girl.

"With pleasure, Yamamoto-san." She then flipped through the pages, only to find us not listed. "It seems you guys haven't handed out the form." She said with a sigh. "Here, I'll help you fill it in."

Manabe took out the form from one of the shelves and began writing. "By the way, you guys don't have an advisor yet haven't you?" she turned her head to us.

"Advisor?" Yui asked.

"We don't have an advisor." I stated plainly.

And so, began the search for Yamanaka Sawako. The girls found her to be the most fitting person to be the club's advisor. We conducted a school wide search for the woman, and found her almost immediately.

"Sawako-sensei! Please be our advisor for the light music club!" the girls begged simultaneously.

"Oh dear, I'm sorry. I'm already an advisor of one club, to advise two clubs is…" the teacher said, looking at us apologetically.

Wait… she seems familiar…

"Sensei, you're an alumna of this school aren't you?" Yui asked, she seems to notice the familiarity.

"Uh- yeah, that's right." The pretty-famous-with-boys teacher stated nervously. How suspicious.

"I've been looking through the album of the old light music club just this afternoon-"

"Where is it located?" Yamanaka-sensei asked us, turning her back.

"Eh? At the music room…"

Just before any words were mustered, she bolted to the old school building with a speed that could match a Ferrari.

"Did she just bolted with high heels on?" I asked no one in particular, running after her.

"I suppose so… it's amazing how she managed to do that without tripping." Tanigawa ran beside me, still smiling.

Us guys got to the music room not long after the crazy teacher. She was desperately searching for a certain picture from the old photo album.

"So you were a member of old light music club…" I deducted.

The girls arrived just behind us, gasping for breath.

"So it really is you…" Tainaka stated, showing a photograph of a teenage girl in her wildest costume, hair dyed pink, plus a few accessories.

Yamanaka-sensei looked at us with a crestfallen expression.

"Who would've thought a sweet loving teacher as a fan of death metal." I muttered.

"I- I'm sorry! I don't know what to say…" she said, weeping in the process. "It was a long time ago… I fell in love with a man…"

Wait, what? Now she's reminiscing?

"He stated that he liked wilder women… so I put my all in it…" she wept a tear coming out from her eyes. "I became wilder… wilder… and wilder…"

I could conclude this story easily. "Lemme guess… you went too far." I said to her.

"You guessed it right, young man. I went too far, so far that he hated me."

"It's amazing how people can get really stupid these days." I stated, pressing the palm of my hand to my face.

"Yamamoto-kun! That's rude!" Akiyama yelled at me.

"I mean, why the hell would you go out of character just to make some guy fall in love with you? It's just plain illogical." I said to the pathetic teacher.

"Yes… I was blinded. Blinded by love." She stated.

"Ain't that sweet." I sarcastically muttered.

"Anyway Sawako-sensei… Please be our advisor." Tainaka begged, showing Yamanaka-sensei the photograph. "If you don't want this picture to spread throughout the school." The president of the club said with a menacing smile.

And with that, Yamanaka Sawako became the advisor of the light music club.

"Oh, how wonderful this club is!"

Well, apparently… She is quite similar to Yui, could be bribed easily with a few sweets.

"I must say, sensei. You're pretty good at fooling someone." I said as I read a copy of 'Hamlet'. It's been too long since I've read Shakespeare's works.

"Was that supposed to be a compliment?"

"No." I nonchalantly answered.

"Well, Yamamoto-kun… do you want your grades to drop?" she threaten me with a plastic sweet smile.

"Do you want the school to know your secret?" I butted back.

"Tch, smart boy."

"Umm, guys… I've wrote a song for us to perform at the cultural festival." Akiyama said as she walked in, a piece of paper clenched on her hand.

The girls, Yamanaka-sensei included, ran excitedly to the songwriter. They stacked up behind Akiyama to see the lyrics.

"Ugh, what is this… I'm getting itchy." Tainaka said. Well, the lyrics must be really awful if Tainaka had stated that.

"It's wonderful!" stated Kotobuki along with Yui and Yamanaka-sensei.

"Let me see that." I put down my book and snatched the piece of paper from her hand.

_Fuwa Fuwa Time_

_Whenever I look at you, my heart throbs wildly  
>This shaky feeling is fluffy like marshmallow<em>

_You're always so hardworking, you never notice me  
>Watching your face so intently<br>And only in my dreams can we ever  
>Get close to each other<br>_

_Ah, God please  
>Grant us some Dreamy Time, just the two of us together<br>I go cuddle my fave bunny plushie and say goodnight_

A complete girly crap.

I looked around, Tanigawa's not here yet. "You might want to add below the title: 'Dedicated to my dearest Tanigawa-chan.'" I said to the songwriter.

I earned a fist to the head not long after I said those words. The room went to an all out laughter.

"Shut up, Yamamoto-kun! Tanigawa-kun has nothing to do with this!" yelled a blushing Akiyama.

I rubbed my head to ease the pain. God, Akiyama could get quite violent when she's panicked. "It's pretty obvious that you wrote this for him. Doesn't take a genius to find out."

"Oh my, am I being a topic of a conversation here?"

Speak of the devil. There stood at the door, the handsome man with the never fading smile. Akiyama's panic just got worse.

"Just your imagination." I said to him. "Anyway, Akiyama wrote a song for us. Take a look at it, would you kindly." I handed him the paper, making Akiyama panic more.

Tanigawa pinched his chin as he read the paper, smile still on his face. After a few seconds, he nodded.

"I must say… it is rather… unique." He stated, handing the paper to the author of the song.

For your information, kids. Unique is a word that could mean two things: it's either good because it's different from the others, or it's complete crap.

"It is quite different from the lyrics we see today. I am quite amazed by Akiyama-san's skills in making a difference." He stated. Of course, those words made Akiyama's blush getting more and more visible.

"Th-thank you, Tanigawa-kun." She muttered, avoiding eye contact to the gentleman. "A-anyway, this is the music sheet. Make sure to learn it, everyone."

Akiyama reached out for her bag and let out a stack of paper. Just like she said, it's a music sheet for the song. She handed everyone in the room a copy, excluding Yamanaka-sensei.

I handed the sheet back to Akiyama. She looked confused for a while. "I can't read music." I stated.

"You what?" the girls exclaimed.

"I don't see what's wrong with it." I said to the others.

"But- but you're pretty good at the guitar!" Akiyama said to me with disbelief.

"Doesn't mean I could read music." I stated calmly. Akiyama opened her mouth to say something I could easily predict "And no, if you're thinking of teaching me, I'll throw you out of the window." I stopped her before the words come out.

The tall girl sighed. "Fine then, we'll just play the tune for you. I'm sure you'll be able to get the melody right."

"That, I can do."

The next day, the club was ready to perform the song.

"Now that we're ready, who's gonna sing?" Tainaka asked the club.

That question turned to a quite long argument. Of course, the vocals would be one of the girls. If Tanigawa or me were to sing it, it'll be a cold day in hell. Akiyama stated that she couldn't handle the spotlight of a vocalist. Tainaka said singing while banging the drums is hard. Kotobuki also let out the same reason. The last option is…

"I'll sing!" the cheery voice of Yui piped up.

"Okay… let's start." Tainaka said, sitting at the stool behind the drums.

The song started with a guitar intro, with the rest of the band following up. It's not pretty surprising that Yui can't play the guitar while singing at the same time. That needs some practice.

"What should I do?" Yui said with a nervous laugh, scratching her head.

"I could train you!" a voice suddenly shouted. It was Yamanaka-sensei, with her eyes as sparkly as Edward Cullen.

And so, Yui's weekend was spent at Yamanaka-sensei's home, training how to play the guitar while singing.


	18. SOS Brigade Mystery Search

I'm kind of worried.

Yamanaka-sensei was a guitarist of a death metal band. With her teaching Yui, I don't think it'll be a good idea.

T'was the day of the earth, Saturday. And though I don't have to work today, I went to the Castanet Café to rest my thoughts.

The glass door opened, chiming the bell that was located on top of it.

"Welcome." The cashier said with a tone of a robot.

As I took a glance of the costumers, I saw two out of five familiar faces.

"Suzumiya?" I asked the woman with the yellow ribbons.

"Ah, you are… what's your name?" she asked back, not even answering my question.

"Yamamoto Hiromi, is it?" The man with the short hair said, he and Suzumiya were in the same class as me, and I don't even remember his name.

"Yeah." I took a sip of my coffee. "What are you guys doing here?"

Suzumiya gave me a thumbs up. "We are currently searching for a mysterious phenomenon! I call it 'The SOS Brigade Mystery Search'!"

What are you, a kid? A high school student looking for mysteries is just sad. "So that SOS thingie taped on top of the literature club was your doing…" I said to the eccentric girl

"Not 'SOS thingie', SOS Brigade! Here, I'll introduce you!" Suzumiya, with a cat like grin gestured towards the members.

"This is Asahina Mikuru-chan! The mascot of our brigade!" Suzumiya pointed towards a redhead, seems to be a senpai. I bowed to her to show respect, she bowed back

"The gentleman of our brigade, Koizumi Itsuki!" the direction of the pointing changed to a man that looked pretty similar to Tanigawa. Handsome face, never fading smile. I somehow think that they're brothers or something.

"The book loving girl, Nagato Yuki!" the girl known as Nagato Yuki was a mysterious figure to me. She had a short, lavender hair, waving around ever so slightly. What amazed me was the fact that she looked like a robot, never moving a single bit. Not even a flinch.

"And the lackey of our brigade, Kyon!" The man with the short hair looked annoyed. Well, who would wanna be called a lackey? And what kind of name is 'Kyon'?

"Well, it's nice meeting you all. Have a good search." I said nonchalantly as I took another sip of my coffee. Suzumiya sure haven't change at all. Ever since that introduction of hers, I've been avoiding her as much as I could. Though I kept hearing news of some kind of a brigade she formed, I never thought I'd meet the real thing.

Chihaya came out and wrote down the brigade's orders. He gave me a weird look as he walked back to the kitchen, I just shrugged as a reaction. Of course, the whole café heard all that shouting Suzumiya let out.

"Hey, mysterious man! Wanna join us in our search?" Suzumiya asked, leaning to my table, an excited look on her face.

Well, since I have nothing better to do… might as well join and analyze this group of freaks. It'll also let my mind off of Yui for a while.

"Sounds fun."

"Here!" Suzumiya pushed her fist to me, clenching 6 pieces of toothpicks. Oh, I get it… We draw lots to see who we paired up with, and split up.

And so, the results of the draw are:

Marked: Me, Kyon, Koizumi.

Unmarked: Suzumiya, Nagato, Asahina-senpai.

"If you see anything mysterious, call us, got it?" Suzumiya said to the marked team with a little bit of irritation. I don't know why she was irritated, but I guess it's from the drawings.

We walked to the west side of the city, and the girls to the east.

"You guys do this often?" I asked to the two males of the brigade.

"Yeah…" Kyon answered. "Much to my dismay." He added.

"Let me guess, you got dragged onto this."

"You got a sharp eye, Yamamoto." The short haired man sighed. "God knows what's in that girl's head."

"My sympathies." I told the man as I put a hand on his shoulder.

One question remains though, why Kyon? From what I see, he's just a normal guy that wanted to live a carefree life. Suzumiya could snatch a more mysterious man than him, if that's what her interests are.

"Koizumi-kun, Yamamoto-kun! What a coincidence!"

We turned our heads to the voice, it was Kotobuki along with Tainaka.

"Good morning, Kotobuki-san." Koizumi greeted.

"You guys knew each other?" I asked.

"Yes, Koizumi-kun was transferred to my class a few months ago."

That means Koizumi's class is 1-9, which is also Tanigawa's class. Wow, class 1-9 has two smiling bastards.

"And you must be Kyon-kun from the SOS brigade." Kotobuki turned her head to Kyon, smiling her usual gentle smile.

"Ah, yeah… are we really that infamous?" Kyon scratched his head.

"The whole school knows about the SOS brigade." Tainaka stated.

Tainaka introduced herself to the guys of the brigade. We then continued our search for the mysterious together with the girls.

"Have you ever really found anything mysterious during the search?" I asked Kyon, we were quite far from the girls and Koizumi.

He scoffed, "No. But I have a feeling that this so called search is just a disguise to hang out with us members of the brigade."

"What? Why the hell would she do that?"

"To be frank, I don't know. Hell, nobody knows what she's thinking."

Being a person that can analyze people's characteristics rather quickly, I can't seem to determine Suzumiya Haruhi's personality. How shameful.

"I heard you're in the light music club." The shorter man said, putting his hands in his pockets. "How is it there?"

"I don't know… all the members are weird." I answered his question. "Though it's a new experience for me, I've never joined a club before."

"Really," he smiled a bit. "Well, doing something out of the ordinary can be quite fun, actually. I've lived my life as an ordinary student all this time, never interested in things that are paranormal or supernatural. But since I met Haruhi, it kind of made me believe that those things actually exist." He scoffed, turning his head forwards. "Makes my life a bit more exciting."

So Kyon was a hardcore realist until he met Suzumiya… "Are you happy, Kyon? With the brigade and all."

"I guess you could say I am… though there are good times and bad times."

"Troubles will come, and they will pass."

The first round of the search ended with no results. It's time to draw lots again and split to the north and south. Tainaka and Kotobuki left us, stating that they may be disturbing the search.

The results of the draw are…

Marked: Me, Suzumiya, Kyon.

Unmarked: Koizumi, Nagato, Asahina-senpai.

"If you found anything mysterious, call us, got it?" Suzumiya ordered the unmarked team, who were heading south.

What seems worth noting was the fact that Suzumiya's irritation from the first draw was gone. Now to conclude this mystery…

She's irritated on the first draw because she wasn't paired with someone she wanted to. Now, it's either me or Kyon. This is easy, obviously she wanted to be paired with Kyon. The possibility of her wanted to be paired with me is zero, due to the fact that she didn't even remember my name.

Well, I'm feeling like an obstacle between two people again. Time to get outta here.

We walked in silence for a while, the two behind me seemed to be really awkward.

"I need to get going." I said to the duo.

"What? You can't abandon your task as a brigade member!" Suzumiya pointed her finger to me.

Shut up, it's for your own good."I'm not a member of the brigade, for your information. Well, I'll see you guys around." I said as I walked away from the two. Suzumiya yelled at me and tried to chase me, only to be stopped by Kyon.

Well, have a good time, lovebirds.


	19. Thank Tanigawa for That

"Here she is! The new and improved Yui!"

Yamanaka-sensei bursts the door open just before she said those words, making our heads turn to the loud noise. There stood Yui with her guitar, smiling triumphantly.

"Let's see what you've got, then." I said to Yui.

As expected, Yui lost her voice. The duo scratched their heads nervously while sticking their tongue out.

"This is a mess." I put up a hand to my face. "No other choice, then. Akiyama, you have to sing."

"What! Why me?"

"Because if I or Tanigawa were to sing, our masculinity would be blown to pieces."

Tanigawa chuckled. "Yamamoto-san has a point." He walked closer to Akiyama, smile still intact. "There is no other choice, Akiyama-san. You have to take the spotlight of a vocalist." He put a hand on her shoulder.

"N-no! I can't do that!" The author of our first song walked away to the corner of the room, looking desperate.

The gentleman sighed, then looked at me. I signaled him to keep persuading the woman. He nodded and walked towards Akiyama.

"On a side note, Akiyama-san. I really want to hear your voice." Tanigawa whispered in her ear. Ha, this guy really knows how to do his job.

"R-really?"

"Yes, I am quite curious. A beautiful woman like you should have a nice voice."

Of course, the others were stifling their laughs, me included.

"O-okay, then. I'll sing my heart out!" Akiyama said with a tone of determination.

And so, the practice began…

Moving on to the day of the cultural festival, the club was ready with the song. The only problem was Akiyama, with her nervousness still visible.

I walked around the school just a few hours before the concert. Founding nothing interesting, I took a step to class 1-9 to see their play.

The class was full packed with fangirls of Tanigawa and Koizumi. Well, I guess you could say that was to be expected. I even saw a familiar tall, black haired girl holding a phone to get a clear shot of a certain gentleman. I thought she was still nervous all this time.

"Oi, shouldn't you get a work on your nervousness?" I said quietly to the number 1 Tanigawa fangirl.

"Sshh! I'm recording!" she whispered.

I sighed, walking to the furthest back of the class. I took a seat on one of the chairs. It's quite useless, the chairs they provided were. Most of the audience was standing on front of the stage to get a closer look of the handsome faces.

"Yo, found anything interesting?"

I turned my head to see a familiar face of Kyon, seems to be bored out of his mind. "No, though I must say 2-3's choco banana is something else."

"Yeah, it caught my attention, too."

I looked towards the stage. There stood two handsome men, wearing what seems to be a wizard's outfit. It seems they are the heroes, and the ugly ones got the role of the villains.

"What's the story about?" I asked the weary faced man. It looks like he's up all night to work on something.

"Typical heroes and villains crap. They're just going for the fan services. Just look at those guys! They're complete woman-bait!"

I chuckled at the man. "Guess you could say that…"

"Anyway, is the light music club performing?" he asked with yet another hint of boredom.

"Yeah, should be a few hours from now." I replied.

"I'll watch, then. Got nothing better to do anyway."

Once the play was over, I walked through the school together with Kyon. We found nothing interesting until the time for the concert came. We parted ways, said he'll wait for the light music club at the hall.

I opened the door to the music room to see a… well, I guess you could say it's a pleasing sight. The members were all well dressed, with the girls in a rather cute costumes, and Tanigawa with his earlier wizard costume.

"What in the world is happening in here?" I asked the room, raising one eyebrow.

"Here's for you, Yamamoto-kun!" From out of nowhere, Yamanaka-sensei appeared and handed me an overall black outfit.

"What? Hell no!"

"Come on, Yamamoto-kun! I've been making this all night long!" the teacher begged me.

"Well, I'm not one to say this. But since Yamanaka-sensei had been staying up all night for the trouble, it would be ungrateful of you to decline the offer, Yamamoto-san." Tanigawa, with his eternal smile, said to me.

I guess you have a point. I wouldn't want to make Yamanaka-sensei feels like she's giving a coin to a cat.

"I'm gonna regret this." I stated as I grabbed the costume.

Surprisingly, I'm quite amazed by the fact that the teacher made this herself. The costume consists of a brown vest, red scarf, black pair of pants and a long black coat. To top it off, there's a black Stetson hat, which goes perfectly well with the outfit. I noted the coat looked like the one Dante wears on Devil May Cry 3, only black.

I went out of the makeshift dressing room with my new outfit. The members were pretty amazed on how I looked.

"You're so cool, Hiromi-kun!" Yui exclaimed, running up to me.

"This is picture-worthy!" Tainaka pulled out her phone to take a picture.

"It fits you well, Yamamoto-san." Tanigawa commented.

"Great, now I just need a .44 magnum revolver." I said as I looked at myself in the mirror. I must say though, Yamanaka-sensei could be a good costume designer. "Anyway," I turned myself to the quiet vocalist, "Making us a costume is not going to make Akiyama feel better. It's making her worse, even."

"Don't sweat the little things, Yamamoto-kun! You're still young! Anyway, time to get going. Now, shoo!" Yamanaka-sensei pushed us out of the room.

"Well," I adjusted my hat. "Let's rock this joint."

We walked in group, gaining every person's attention we've passed. Akiyama was comforted by you-know-who, and was gaining confidence bit by bit.

As we reached the hall, though, was when her anxiety increased around tenfold. All the confidence she had gathered was gone, vanished, vaporized. Well, performing in front of a full house is quite a nerve wrecker.

I tapped the vocalist on the shoulder to get her attention. "My only advice is: Go with the flow. Once you got the beat going, you'll feel like you're on a Learjet." I think I should tell her a good quote. "Like Keith Richards had said: I don't think, I feel."

Akiyama looked at me nervously, and nodded. "I'll try!"

And so, we walked out to the stage. The audience was amazed by our outfits, I could hear squeals, laughs, cameras clicking, and 'that looks expensive'.

Tainaka held a mock concert to stall Akiyama's anxiety. I took the chance to scan the crowd. I could see Kyon sitting beside Suzumiya, and a familiar peach haired man standing up in the hindmost part of the hall. Since the spotlight was glaring at me, I couldn't read any of their expressions.

"Well, let's get started!" Tainaka cued us.

I looked towards the members, Akiyama was still looking down to the ground. Well, God help us. I nodded to Yui, indicating I was ready. And so, the intro played.

Akiyama started clapping. And the drums came in, along with the bass and the keyboard. Though the lyrics are cheesy, the tune is quite catchy. Me likey.

Akiyama's singing was perfect, though the first parts of the song were a bit off due to her anxiousness. But after that, it was golden. I have no trouble at the guitar solo, since it was pretty easy. And Yui kept rocking like a hurricane. Kotobuki's constant fillings are great, adding a bit of harmony to the song. Though seems a bit rushing, Tainaka could keep the beat of the song quite well. I also added a few riffs to make the song more adrenaline-pumping.

We ended the song with a bang, and the crowd went to an all out applause. The band couldn't get happier than this. We put our instruments down before heading out, that was, when a disaster almost occurred.

After putting down my guitar, I noticed Akiyama calmly walking towards the back of the stage. What she didn't notice was the mess of a cable on the floor. Before I warned her, she tripped on one of the cables. Fortunately, Tanigawa was there, and was fast enough to catch her. Hell, if she were to trip on the stage with a skirt like that, it'll be a disaster both mentally and physically. Though, it'll be more of a problem on the mental side.

Well, to conclude the club's first performance…

It's a success.


	20. Hiromi's Fuwa Fuwa Time

The night came falling down in a flash, and the students of the school were gathering at the fields for the bonfire.

"It sure is beautiful, the sight of a bonfire in the night. Where there's only darkness, a single shed of light could get us to gather around it."

I was sitting on a bench with the savior of Akiyama's tripping just this afternoon. The rest of the club was near the fire, warming their tired bodies.

"Yeah, like insects, which were attracted with light, us humans aren't pretty different."

Tanigawa took a swig of the bottle of mineral water he held.

"Well, I guess you could say all living beings have the same traits."

We looked towards the bonfire in silence. I could see the students were dancing to the soft and soothing music, some in couples, others alone, wishfully hoping for a partner.

"Nice reflexes, by the way. God knows what'll happen if Akiyama were to fall on the stage." I stated, breaking the silence.

Tanigawa chuckled, with his smile still seen. "Akiyama-san felt relieved that the concert goes well. That feeling overwhelmed the awareness of her surroundings. So I guess you could say I kind of predicted it will happen."

I smiled at the explanation. This guy's pretty sharp. I approve this man's way of thinking.

"Speaking of Akiyama, I think she needs some company." I nudged my head towards the lonely looking woman by the bonfire.

Tanigawa stood up. "Well, enjoy the night, Yamamoto-san." He then walked towards the mentioned woman. I leaned on the bench and sighed. I guess they really are meant for each other, no matter how clichéd that sounds.

I closed my eyes and let my sense of hearing took priority. The soothing music can still be heard, though vaguely due to the distance between my ear and the speaker. I can quite make out the melody, though I can't really tell the exact title of the song.

"Hey, Hiromi-kun."

I opened my eyes to see Yui's face close to mine. She was smiling another one of those childish smiles.

"What?" I nonchalantly asked.

"Let's dance!" she offered me a hand.

"I can't dance."

"Don't worry, just go with the flow!" she then pulled me out of my seat, and headed towards the rather crowded dance floor whilst dragging me.

Much to my dismay, the people from my class were there, and giggled lightly while looking at me. It seems my image of an anti social man is now ruined.

"How cute." Squealed a voice from the crowd. I didn't even bother to comment on that.

"Who would've thought the scary looking man from class 1-5 would be dancing with Yui?" another voice can be heard, plus a giggle. I guess I'm quite known for my scary looks.

"This is annoying." I muttered.

Yui giggled, resting her head on my chest. "It's not." She said, "It'll help change your image, Hiromi-kun."

"Oh my, did she just call him by his given name? How sweet!" another female student commented.

Goddamnit, can't they just keep quiet?

I accidentally bumped on someone as I took a step back.

"Sorry- wait, Kyon?"

Unexpectedly, Kyon was dancing with Suzumiya, who looks like she's annoyed, but actually pleased. I could tell by a glance to her eyes.

"Uh- hey, Yamamoto." He greeted nervously.

"Never thought you'd dance." I said to the shorter man.

"I think you could guess what happened exactly before this." He stated, hanging his head.

I could guess easily, actually. "You shouldn't be dragging Kyon around like that, Suzumiya."

"I'll do whatever I want, mysterious man!" she glared at me.

"Well, you guys have a good time." I said as I led Yui away from the duo.

Yui giggled, looking at the chief and the lackey of the brigade. "They look good together, Kyon-kun and Haru-chan."

"Whatever… it's none of my business."

After the bonfire was over, we went to our respective homes. Tanigawa walked with Akiyama, while I walked Kotobuki to the station along with Yui and Tainaka. Since it was dark, I decided to escort the girls to their homes, starting with Tainaka. We walked whilst talking about today's performance, with Yui following right behind us. The Tainaka residence can be seen in a matter of minutes.

"Well, today's a success! Let's hope we'll do better in the next performance!" she then went inside her house.

The walk to Yui's house was filled with silence. It's unlike her to be quiet like this.

"How's your sister doing?" I asked to fill in the silence.

"She's studying hard to get to our school." Yui smiled as if she remembered something . "Ui really wanted to be in the same school as the club, so she put her all into it."

"I'm sure she can make it. If you could, she could."

"But I'm afraid… if she kept taking care of me, I don't know if she'll concentrate on her studies." Yui looked down, sorrow clearly visible on her face.

"Then change." I said to the rather spoiled girl, "It's a good start, actually, that you're aware that you're troubling your sister. If you really wanted her to be accepted to our school, you should do things by yourself, and let your sister focus only on her studying."

Yui stopped on her tracks, "I don't know if I can…" her head was down, hair blocking the view of her eyes.

"Well, it's not a matter of can or can't. It's a matter of trying. If you don't try, surely you won't know the answer." I put a hand on her shoulder. "But I'm sure you can."

She looked at my face with the eyes full of sorrow. "Really?"

"Yeah, now let's get you home." I walked towards Yui's house, which is a few meters away from here. Once at the gate, she shot me another one of that sweet smile.

"I guess this is where we parted ways… well, see you later." I turned my back to walk to my home sweet home.

"Wait, Hiromi-kun!"

I turned back to Yui, only to find her running up to me, and wrapped her arms around me. She buried her head on my chest.

"Thank you… for everything. For today, for the guitar lessons, for helping me with my problems…" She looked up to me, revealing that smile I've always wanted to see. "Thank you… for trusting me."

I could feel my face heat up, heart beating fast and my eyes were wide open. I was dumbfounded, don't know what to say. Thankfully, she let go of me and walked inside her house.

I stood there, unable to muster any word. I've never been thanked like that… it felt good… really good.

I walked home with a cigarette dangling on my mouth. I feel the cold autumn air blowing against me, the lights on the streets were shining brightly. Even though my brain was racked with random thoughts, I never got that feeling out of my mind.

That feeling of wanting to held Yui in my arms again.


	21. The Assistance of Suzumiya Haruhi

**Author's Note: My thanks for Anon and bcbb1d5d for reviewing. And yes, like Hiromi, I can play the guitar, bass and drums. Though I can't read music. All the tune Hiromi played I can play, with the exception of the guitar solo of 'Freebird'.  
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><p>It was yet another Sunday, and noticing there are no games to be played, I automatically walked out of the house to greet the rather cold autumn air.<p>

This season is known as a season to read books. So I headed towards the park with a copy of 'Hamlet' that I haven't finished. What I liked about Sundays is the peaceful feeling of the streets. It's kind of like everybody is living a happy life without any problems to solve.

"There he is! That's the guy!"

Well, so much for peaceful… I took a glance at the shouting, and saw a man with his gang, pointing at me. What in the world… oh, wait. That man was the delinquent that I scared the hell out a few months ago. It seems he was hanging around with his friends. Ah, well… I guess I have no choice.

There are around a dozen of them, although they were all shorter than me. I could easily tell from their ugly faces that they're the same type as the delinquent that pointed me.

"HEEAAAA!"

One of them ran up to me, charging with full speed. Bad move, the key to obliterating your opponent is patience. And with that anger stored up inside you, you'll just get blind.

I easily dodged his straight punch and grabbed his arm. I then launched a knee to his ribs, and threw his pained body down to the ground. He was still conscious, so I finished him with a kick to the face.

"All of you, bring it on. You're wasting my time." I taunted the others to build up their angers. Of course, it worked like a charm. They all charged at me at the same time, whilst shouting randomly. There's no path opened, the narrow street was filled with these guys charging at me. Knowing that, I looked around for an item to distract them. I found a stick and grabbed it. As they drew closer, I threw the stick to one of them. The wooden piece got him right on his face, and he was in pain. I took the chance to run up to him and threw a fist to his jaw, knocking him out immediately. The others were all surrounding me, with an angry look on their faces.

Suddenly, someone knocked out one of the delinquent, and threw his body to another. The others turned their heads to the culprit. I could see a familiar yellow ribbon, complete with a matching hairband. It was none other than the fearless brigade chief.

I took the chance to kick one of them in the knee, disabling his movements. With the delinquent in pain, I landed a perfect uppercut on his jaw. I dodged an attempt to grab me, and countered with a punch to the liver, another to the lungs, and the last to the nose, breaking it.

Suzumiya took care of a few delinquents, making my job got easier. It wasn't long until there's only the boss of the gang, the trash throwing delinquent.

"Well, he's yours, Yamamoto." The brigade chief said to me, catching her breath.

I walked slowly to the scared delinquent, it was like every step I took was a step closer to death for him.

I grabbed him by his collar and slammed him to a wall. "If I ever see you do an act of delinquency again, I'll break your fucking neck. Is that clear?" I said through gritted teeth, looking at his eyes with the meanest glare I could muster.

He nodded frantically and I let go of him. He ran away with a wet pair of pants.

I sighed and walked to Suzumiya. "Thanks for the help. Though it's not necessary."

She frowned and pointed at me. "If I didn't help you, you'll be worm food! Look at them, there's at least a dozen of them!"

"A dozen or ten dozens I could take care." I felt guilty for involving Suzumiya in this, I figured I should do something in return. "Sorry for getting you involved in this. Call your brigade, I'll treat them a nice, warm drink."

The frown disappeared from her face and turned to a grin. "You got it, Castanet Café, alright?"

"Sure."

And so, she arranged a meeting at the said place. We walked together towards Chihaya's café.

"Didn't know you could fight, Suzumiya." I said to her to fill in the silence.

"Yeah, my dad taught me to. Said it was necessary to survive in this world."

I liked her father's way of thinking. "Is that so… you have a good father, then."

She scoffed, smiling a proud smile. "Yeah, although a bit overprotective sometimes."

"It's just natural for a parent to be worried of his child. Especially a daughter."

"How about you, Yamamoto? Why did you learn martial arts?" she asked me with a hint of curiosity in her voice.

"Almost the same reason as you. My father loved martial arts, and wished for me to learn it." I looked towards the streets. "Influenced by my father, I came to love it too."

"Really." Was her short response.

As we walked for a minute or so, I saw two familiar faces. Yui noticed me walking together with Suzumiya, causing her to make an expression that was unknown to me. Yui's sister noticed our presence not long after, and greeted us.

"Good morning, Yamamoto-senpai!"

"Yo, taking a walk?" I stopped in front of the sisters.

"We're going shopping. And who might this be?" Yui's sister turned her head to Suzumiya.

"Suzumiya Haruhi. Pleased to meet you, Yui-chan's sister!"

"The pleasure's mine, Suzumiya-senpai. Wanna come with us?"

"Nah, I have a promise to keep." I said to the little sister.

"Is that so? With Suzumiya-senpai?"

"Yeah, kind of." I told her. "I promised to treat the whole brigade for her help" I noticed Yui was acting weird. She's never been this quiet.

"Well then, enjoy yourselves! We'll be going now-"

"Wait, Ui! Shopping can wait, let's go with them!"

All heads turned to Yui, with a determined expression on her face, she begged her little sister to come with us.

"Suzumiya, you decide." I stated, looking towards the yellow ribbons.

"I don't mind. The more the merrier!"

And so, we walked towards the café with the Hirasawa sisters. Yui regained her cheerful self back, which is quite pleasing to the eyes.

"How's Yui doing?" I asked her little sister. Yui and Suzumiya were chatting away quite far in front of us.

Little sister smiled a genuine smile, and turned her head to me. "Is it you that told her to change, Yamamoto-senpai?"

Whoa, that was unexpected. I didn't know Yui's sister would be this sharp.

"What makes you think I'm the culprit?"

"Well, onee-chan talks about you almost every day." She turned her head towards her sister. "She told me that you're a nice man, always wanting to help."

If you say it like that, it'll make people think I'm an anime pretty boy that made the girls at school squeal every time I appear.

"So I figured, it was none other than you that made her change. I can feel it."

I chuckled at the hawk eyed sister. "You got a good head on your shoulders. No doubt you'll be accepted in North High."

"Anyway, I must thank you for what you did, Yamamoto-senpai. Nee-chan is getting more and more independent by the day." She turned her head to me with her smile still intact. "Thank you, Yamamoto-senpai."

That feeling again, that feeling of being thanked. It's getting quite buggy. I kept quiet, not knowing what to say.

We reached the café after a few minutes of walking. As usual, the café's quiet. We went inside to be greeted by the robotic voice of the cashier. I wonder if she's enjoying her job, being a cashier without a customer is quite depressing.

"Order what you want." I stated, deciding on a cup of coffee.

Suzumiya ordered ice cappuccino, the Hirasawa sisters went with a strawberry parfait.

"The brigade members should be here any moment…"

"Hey, Haru-chan. What exactly does the brigade do?" Yui asked Suzumiya curiously.

The eccentric girl turned her head to Yui, with an excited look on her face, she gave Yui a thumbs up. "We look for mysterious things! Ghosts, espers, time travelers, aliens, sliders, anything out of this world!"

The Hirasawa sisters were amazed, maybe they've never heard of such a stupid club that would search for the mysterious.

"Amazing! So, have you found anything so far?" Yui pried deeper.

"No, but we will! You can count on us!"

That's some confidence you showed there. No one really knows if those things exist or not. And if they do, I don't think they'll be roaming this city like ordinary people would.

The rest of the brigade arrived a few minutes later. Koizumi with his usual smile, Asahina-senpai looked happy, Nagato being Nagato, and Kyon looked like crap.

Kyon sat beside me along with Koizumi. And the girls were on a separate table adjacent to us.

"You alright?" I asked the weary looking man.

"I just woke up." He replied weakly.

"Well, it's kinda my fault actually…"

Before Kyon asked a question, Suzumiya stood up.

"Let me tell you all the story of how I saved Yamamoto from the depths of hell!"

Uh, no. Getting surrounded by a pack of delinquents ain't no depths of hell.

"I was walking peacefully this morning, when I saw Yamamoto getting surrounded by evil monsters! With my enhanced reflexes, I jumped to the scene and beat all the monsters by myself! And with that, Yamamoto promised me to treat the whole brigade."

"Pretty sure the story didn't go like that." Kyon said to me.

"No. You must have a brain damage if you believed that." I stated, taking a sip of my coffee.

"Amazing Haru-chan! You saved Hiromi-kun's life!"

Of course, the one who said that was… well, I don't need to tell you, right?

"Well, it is very nice of you for doing this, Yamamoto-san. I must thank you for this wonderful treat." Koizumi thanked me.

"Don't mention it. Your leader's skills were pretty helpful, It took half of my work."

"What happened, actually?" Kyon asked me with a hint of curiosity.

"What she said was almost all true. Just replace the monsters with delinquents, and no, she didn't beat them all by herself. Let's say half of them are."

"Really." Kyon had an interested look on his face.

"I wasn't even desperate for help, when suddenly she came and beat the hell out of those bastards."

"What makes you get surrounded by delinquents in the first place anyway?"

"Had a little run-in with their leader a few months ago. Their so-called leader threw a piece of garbage to the streets, had to scare the hell out of him to teach him a lesson."

I took a glance to the girls, and noticed Nagato staring at my table. I looked towards the direction she was looking, and saw the copy of 'Hamlet' I brought. I took it and offered it to the petite bookworm.

"You wanna read it?" I asked.

Nagato nodded once.

"You can have it. I have the e-book version anyway." The lavender haired girl took the book and began reading, not even muttering a single word. I turned my head to the guys of the brigade.

"Is she always like this?" I whispered to Kyon.

"Yeah…"

"I must say, though… Reading Shakespeare's work in its original language, she's something else." I took another glance to Nagato, who was busy with her new book.

"You'll never know…" Kyon said quietly. I raised one eyebrow at him.

The rest of the day was uneventful, with the brigade and the Hirasawa sisters hanging out at the café 'till noon. I eventually went shopping along with the sisters, helping them carry the groceries.

Still, I can't seem to make out the expression Yui held after she saw me with Suzumiya.

Ah, hell, I'm too lazy to think about it. I think I'll just save it for another day.


	22. The Great Leader of The SOS Brigade

**WARNING: This chapter contains major spoilers of The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya. DO NOT READ if you don't want to be spoiled.  
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><p>The cold air can be felt now that winter is here. The people on the streets were mostly walking slowly and lazily due to the cold weather. I kind of get that feeling. Everytime winter came, I always felt sleepy.<p>

The date was December 18th, I noted the decorations and lights on shops and houses. That is, for the reason that Christmas is drawing near. Somehow the spirit of Christmas could make some people happy with just seeing the colorful lights. It's too damn mysterious.

Armed with my FOXHOUND coat to keep the air from directly hitting my body, I walked the cold streets with a feeling of indifference. I decided to bring my acoustic guitar with me to teach Yui how to play fingerstyle guitar.

School went by uneventfully, and the time came for the club to gather.

"Yui, let's continue your lesson." I fixed myself a cup of coffee with Kotobuki's coffee maker.

"Eh? I thought I could play the guitar well enough…" she replied lazily.

"No, you only mastered half of the guitar. Here, I'll show you." I took out my nylon acoustic guitar from its case. I cleaned the guitar and changed the strings just the other day, it should have a good sound.

I started with playing the fingerstyle version of 'Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head', which is a bit hard for me. Yui observed me with amazement.

"Teach me!" she exclaimed with eyes shining brightly like a million stars. Well, anyone would be interested in learning it after seeing someone played it.

"Good. Here, I'll lend my guitar to you."

I gave the guitar my father had bought for me a long time ago to Yui. I told her the starting point of learning fingerstyle guitar.

"Place your index finger on the 3rd string, middle on the 2nd string, and ring finger on the 1st string."

She tried to do so, only to tremble and missed. I chuckled lightly at that.

"It's hard!" Yui exclaimed whilst trying to get her fingers right.

"I know. I also struggled when I learned this for the first time."

Eventually, she got it right. "Good, now ring the 6th string with your thumb once," she did what she was told to, "And followed by a simultaneous ring of the three strings twice."

Predictably, she rang the three strings once and had trouble getting her fingers into position again.

"Well, that's all for today. You need to keep practicing until you got it smoothly."

"What? That's all?" Akiyama asked me.

"Yeah, that's the basics of fingerstyling. If you can't do the three fingers thingie, you won't be able to play anything. So you have to master it first."

"It looks kind of boring." Tainaka said as she looked towards Yui.

"Patience is virtue, Tainaka."

I excused myself to hit the bathroom and went out. Even the thick walls of the building can't keep the cold air from outside. As I walked on the quiet corridor, I saw a flutter of a skirt coming from a corner.

Just before I investigated further, I heard a loud 'THUD' coming from the stairs, along with some screaming and crying. I ran up towards the source of the sound and found Kyon lying on the floor. The other brigade members were also there, with a whiter shade of pale on their faces.

"Kyon-kun! Kyon-kun!" Asahina-senpai clung onto him.

I jolted my head to Nagato, she was calling the ambulance in a calm manner.

I crouched down next to the victim and examined him. He's unconscious, but still breathing. Good, at least he's alive. Hit on the head, no external injuries, let's just hope there are no internal ones. I can't seem to do anything right now, so I guess it's up to the doctor to determine the damage. For now, we need to get him to a place that's easy for the ambulance to pick him up.

"Koizumi! Let's get him to the courtyard!" I shouted to the other man on the scene. He snapped out of his panic, then nodded and carried Kyon by the legs, while I grabbed his arms.

As we reached the courtyard, the ambulance arrived. They took Kyon inside the car with haste and bolted away with the rest of the brigade. Since the ambulance was full, I can't go with them. Though Koizumi thanked me and promised me to keep me updated.

"Hope he's alright." I muttered. A human head is a fragile thing. If hit, it could cause brain damage, amnesia, or even death.

I walked back to the music room with a bit of worry in me.

"What happened, Yamamoto? We heard an ambulance." Tainaka asked, the members were all looking out of the window.

"Kyon fell down the stairs, banged his head, unconscious. No external wound can be seen, but I'm worried there might be an internal injury." I said to the worried members.

"What! Is he okay?"

"Seems to be fine. We won't know 'till the doctor says so." I took out my phone to wait for the news. "Koizumi promised to tell me the news, though. We'll have to wait."

"I hope he's alright…" Kotobuki said, a worried expression clearly on her face.

I'm sure he will. All of our prayers are on you, Kyon.

Suddenly, my phone vibrates. I took a glance at the caller I.D. and flipped it open.

"Koizumi, how is he?" I asked the caller.

"According to the doctor, he's fine. Though he is currently in a coma, he'll wake up soon." Replied the other side.

"No internal injuries?"

"No, the doctor didn't mention such a thing."

"I guess he's gonna be fine, then. Thanks for telling me."

"You also have our thanks, Yamamoto-san. Your level-headedness saved me from panicking."

"Don't mention it. Call me when he's conscious."

I hung up, putting the phone back to my pocket. "He's fine. Doc said he'll wake up soon." I told the club, who was relieved to hear the news.

"Thank God…"

The day after, Kyon and Suzumiya were absent. Koizumi stated that the leader was always by Kyon's side, never going home or attending school. I'm quite surprised, actually. For Suzumiya to do that, means she cared about other people. All this time I thought she's just a weird, selfish woman. Guess I was wrong…

December 21st, night. I received a phone call from Koizumi stating Kyon regained consciousness. I told him I'll visit in the morrow with the light music club. After a quick conversation, I called the members, spreading the good news. I arranged a meeting at my house in the morning, and we will visit Kyon by car. They agreed to do so.

December 22nd, Saturday. I started the car engine to let it heat up. The others arrived at 7, carrying various fruits and flowers. We departed at 7:30, arrived at 8:00.

"So this is Koizumi's private hospital…" I looked towards the towering building. It's pretty damn huge.

We entered and saw a familiar face by the vending machine.

"Yo, where's his room?" I asked Koizumi. He seems to be buying drinks for the brigade.

"Ah, hello everyone. Thank you for visiting. Follow me, I'll lead you to his room." Koizumi seems to be having trouble holding all the cans, so I took half of it to my hands. Of course, being the gentleman he is, never forget to say thanks.

We reached Kyon's room through the elevator. It was quite a big room for a hospital, I noted. The morning sun can be seen clearly from here. I looked towards the bed to see Kyon in a healthy state, fresh as an ice block. The whole brigade is here.

"Hey, sorry for the trouble, Yamamoto." Kyon greeted with a soft smile. He seems pretty different, yet I don't know the reason why.

"It's fine. How're you feeling?"

"Pretty good. Though I can't go home yet, the doc needs to perform various examinations on me."

"I see… the girls have something for you." I signaled the club to come in, each carrying the various items they brought.

"Whoa, thanks. You don't have to do this, really." Kyon seems flabbergasted.

"Get well soon, Kyon-kun." Yui handed him some flowers with her usual smile. I guess this is what you call a classmate's intimacy.

"He's already well, actually." The brigade leader piped up, her trademark cat like grin on her face. "That way, he could make it to the Christmas party!"

"Christmas party?" Tainaka asked the yellow ribboned girl.

"We're going to have a party at the clubroom this Christmas!" Suzumiya answered with high spirits.

"That sounds fun. How about one for the light music club?" Tainaka turned her head to the members of the light music club, looking excited.

"Great idea, Ricchan! We could exchange gifts!" Yui said with the same expression as Tainaka.

The club arranged the party, while I shifted my legs towards Suzumiya.

"I heard you were here all this time." I said to the leader.

"A brigade leader should be taking responsibility of their members! That's why I'm not going to leave Kyon's side."

I smiled, looking at nowhere in particular. "You're a good leader, Suzumiya. Keep it up."

She looked at me with a surprised expression, which turned into a grin. "Of course I am! I won't be forming the brigade if I'm not!"

We had few small talks with the brigade, and left around noon to let Kyon rest.

"I'm relieved now that I know that he's alright." I heard Tanigawa's voice from the back of the car.

"Yeah, a blow to the head could've gone nasty."

"Mugi, can we held the party at your place?" Tainaka asked the rich woman.

"Ah, sorry Ricchan, I don't think my house is free at that time." Kotobuki said apologetically.

"I see… how about you, Yamamoto? Your house is always empty, right?"

"Well, I don't mind. As long as you don't wreak havoc in there." I said.

"Okay, Yamamoto's house it is." Tainaka scribbled on her notepad.

"You might wanna note that I'm not a decoration kind of man, so don't expect some flashy stuff." I stated to Tainaka.

"It doesn't matter, Yamamoto-san. Christmas is about family and friendship, the lights and decorations are just a plus." Tanigawa said.

"Yeah, Tanigawa's right. Anyway, each of us should buy a gift to exchange." The president of the club said with excitement barely contained.

"Duly noted."

And so, the Christmas party will be held at the Yamamoto residence, 24th December.


	23. A Meaningful Gift

**Author's note: Again, thanks to the anons who reviewed.**

**To the anon that said 'he' is a bit biased, (I don't know 'he' refers to who, so I'm implying it's Tanigawa, who had said the statement.) like Tanigawa had stated before, it's a matter of prespective. Like if you said The Beatles didn't have much of a technique, it's seen from your prespective, and mine is different from yours. I don't know if it's called biased or not, but I think it's just a difference of opinion.**

**To the anon that said you disliked the SOS Brigade, state the reason you disliked them, if you please. Did I wrote them way out of character, or did you just simply disliked the anime? If I wrote them poorly, please let me know, I'll make an attempt to improve it.**

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><p>"Gifts, huh…"<p>

Keeping in mind that the Christmas party is a day away, I walked around town in search of a gift to exchange. Feeling lost, I shifted my legs to the local gift shop. Since it'll be a game of chance, I should find a gift suitable for both genders.

"Good morning, Yamamoto-san." Greeted a man behind me. That voice and tone, it's none other than the gentleman of our club. I turned towards the direction of the voice to see Tanigawa smiling as usual. I noted that his jacket looked old, all worn out.

"Hey, I take it you're also searching for gifts?"

"Correct. Though I'm in a bit of a loss at what to buy." He stated, looking around the store.

"You could say the same for me." I said to him.

We lurked the store, looking left and right when an item caught my attention. I grabbed the item and inspected it closely.

"Ah, good choice. Since the club likes to drink tea, I think it's a good idea." Tanigawa commented.

The item I'm interested in is a tea cup. Pure white with a few decorations on the side, and an eye catching cupid placed on top of the handle. The craftsmanship is quite amazing, and not too expensive. But there's one problem.

"What if you get this?" I asked the gentleman. "I'm pretty sure you're not interested in this stuff."

"Well, the chance of me getting your gift is quite small. Since the only males in the party are you and myself. And if, somehow, you get your own gift, it will be swapped."

"Alright, then. I'll settle with this."

I accompanied Tanigawa in search for an acceptable gift. Suddenly, he turned his back to face me.

"I must ask a question, Yamamoto-san." He said.

"Shoot."

"Do you like accessories? Rings maybe?"

"You're planning on buying an accessory for a gift? Good choice. And yeah, I don't mind if I were to get your gift."

"That's a relief. Well then, I think I'll search at the accessory counter." He then walked towards the said counter.

Many rings, bracelets, and necklaces are lined up, mostly made of pure silver.

"I wanted one with a gem on it." He stated as he browsed through the sea of accessories.

Let's see… if he's intending to somehow give it to Akiyama, I think I should suggest a suitable color for her. Hmm, Akiyama… gentle, caring, calming… light blue maybe?

"How about that one?" I pointed at a silver ring with a medium sized gem on top of it. Of course, the gem is colored light blue, like the waters at the beach, or the sky.

Tanigawa took the ring and inspected it. He seems interested.

"I'll take this. Thank you for helping me, Yamamoto-san."

We had our gifts wrapped at the cashier, and carried it with caution.

"Well, I guess this is where we parted ways. Once again, thank you, Yamamoto-san. I'll see you at the party." He then left with his gift in his pocket.

I went back to my house with not a single worry in me, due to the completed task of finding a gift. Let's just hope this teacup landed on one of the girls.

Arriving a few minutes later, I observed my home. It's not pretty suitable for a party, I noted. Maybe a Christmas tree would do the job. I rummaged through the attic to locate the plastic tree my father bought a long time ago. Eventually, I found the box with the dusty tree inside it. Ever since my dad left me, I've never celebrated any holidays of some sort, not even my birthday.

I took out the box and cleaned the tree along with the pieces of decorations. Clean and shiny, I set up the old tree at my room, where the party will be held at. It wasn't a really huge tree, just about the same height as me.

"Good enough." I said to myself rather proudly, taking a last glance at the tree.

The 24th came without me noticing, and I woke up with the reminder from my phone. The ingredients I bought just the other day will be food today. After doing my morning routine, I went straight to the kitchen.

"Turkey, strawberry shortcake, sandwich. Got a lot of work to do…" I muttered to myself, reminding of the work which has to be done.

Well, telling you the process of cooking in excruciating detail would be quite boring, so I'll just press the fast forward button here…

I heard the knock on the door just as the food is ready. I took off my apron and threw it to the counter. Opening the door, the sight of the whole club, plus Yui's sister and Manabe can be seen.

"Sorry for intruding!" the guests said simultaneously, an excited look on each of their faces.

"Come on in. Leave your coats over there." I pointed at the coat rack, "The party will be held upstairs in my room. Last door to the right." I instructed the club. I looked at Tanigawa's jacket, it was the same as the other day, old and worn out.

They all came barging in with excitement, each carrying their presents. After making sure the others were already upstairs, I followed suit, remembering my present is in my room.

As I entered my room, I saw Yui rummaging around my closet. "What the hell are you doing?" I asked her, raising an eyebrow.

She turned to me and scratched her head. "Doesn't it make you curious when you enter someone else's room?"

I know that feeling, but at least let the owner have some privacy!

I sighed, pressing the palm of my hand to my face. "You won't find anything in there."

"Anyway, let's get the party started. Let's have a toast!" Tainaka exclaimed, grabbing the bottle of juice.

We poured the juice to each of our glasses, and lift it up high in the air.

"Cheers!" we shouted simultaneously.

Suddenly the quiet atmosphere of my house had vanished without a trace. It's true, what every person had stated, It seems that Christmas is the time for gathering around friends and family. We ate whist chatting about random stuffs that crossed our minds. Once done, I took the dishes downstairs and put it in the sink, making a mental note to wash it later.

I went back upstairs and sat back to the group.

"It's time for the gift exchange!" Tainaka announced.

We took out each of our gifts, there are various sizes, though there are no pretty large ones.

"Stop swapping when the song's over!"

The girls sang 'Jingle Bells' happily. Me, feeling it was unnecessary, just kept quiet.

"Stop!"

I eyed my present, which is now in the hands of Yui. Good thing it didn't land on Tanigawa. Speaking of the gentleman, his gift landed on the right person, Akiyama, who could probably guess what's inside the wrappings. I took a glance at the gift I got. Medium sized, a bit light, probably clothing.

"Ah, that's mine, Hiromi-kun!" Yui exclaimed.

"And that's mine." I replied to her, pointing to the wrappings in her hands. She looked excited for a while, before ripping out the wrappings. It revealed a small cardboard box with the writing 'fragile' seen on top of it. She opened the box and gasped with an expression of surprise on her face. Yui took out the item and showed it to the club, who were amazed by only taking a single glance at it.

"It's cute!" Kotobuki commented.

"Since you guys loved to drink tea, I figured this is the best gift to give." I explained to the club. "Sorry if it's not much, I'm not a gift giving person."

"This is great! Thank you, Hiromi-kun, I'll use it every day!" Yui jumped and hugged me, much to my dismay. Now my face heat up again, making the feeling of the night after the cultural festival came back.

"Alright, alright! Get off of me!" I said as I pushed her face away from my chest. The others were smirking at the sight. Bastards.

Yui let go of me eventually, and told me to open the gift I held. I do as I was told, and took out a box from the wrappings. I opened it to reveal a dark red scarf, newly bought.

"I haven't seen you wearing a scarf, so I figured I'll give one to you!" Yui said to me with her sweet smile.

I stared at the scarf with wide eyes. Huh, it felt good to know that someone cared for you. I took out the item from the box and tried it. I never thought Yui would buy this, I thought she would choose something cuter for her tastes. By the way, If she's intending to buy it for me, then it's quite a luck she had there. What if the gift didn't land on me?

"Looks good on you!" Tainaka commented.

"Feels warm, too. Thanks, Yui." I said with a smile I can't wipe off. Yui returned my thanks with another smile.

Akiyama was next to open the gift. A little red box revealed, like an engagement ring box. She opened it and gasped with her hand covering her mouth. I chuckled at the sight, she looked pretty happy. The female bassist of our club showed the shiny item to us, which, again, amazed the others.

"My, what a beautiful ring! Whose is it?" Manabe looked at the blue gemmed ring with wide eyes.

"Ah, that would be mine. I'm sorry if it's nothing special." Tanigawa raised his hand.

Nothing special? You have got to be kidding me, the woman looked like she could die of happiness knowing the ring is from you!

"Th-thank you, Tanigawa-kun." Akiyama stuttered, the pink tint on her face clearly visible even from far away.

"May I?" Tanigawa took the ring from her and put it on Akiyama's ring finger. I could hear the 'aww's coming from the girls.

"How lovely." I sarcastically muttered whilst snickering.

"I was expecting for Mio to have the same reaction as Yui…" Tainaka whispered, a bit disappointed.

The image of Akiyama jumping happily to Tanigawa is quite… disturbing. No, that was way out of character. Akiyama would never do that.

"What did you get, Tanigawa?" I asked, breaking the silence between the couple.

"I am quite curious, too." He said as he grabbed the medium sized box he got.

"Ah, that's mine…" Akiyama noticed the box was hers.

"Is that so… well, let's open it then." Tanigawa looked pretty excited, it seems that his curiosity increased, though Akiyama looked pretty nervous.

A few gentle ripping sounds later, a box was revealed. Tanigawa gently opened the lid to find a black clothing, seems to be a coat. He was pretty surprised, that look on his face was pretty rare that I regretted for not taking a picture.

"I-I looked at the jacket you wore, it seems pretty old. So I decided to get you a new one." Akiyama said nervously, not knowing the feelings of the gentleman.

"Thank you, Akiyama-san. I've been thinking of buying a new jacket, but now you helped me. Thank you very much." Tanigawa said with a genuine smile, resulting in a blushing Akiyama.

Again, the squeals and 'aww's from the girls can be heard.

"Try it on, would you." I said to Tanigawa.

He stood up and took the clothing. It's a black overcoat, pure and simple, just the way he liked it. The male bassist put on the coat, making the club looked at him in amazement. I must say, this guy could be a model. He looked like a teen idol wearing that coat, if he were to walk down the streets with that, I bet all the eyes of the girls would be on him.

"It feels comfortable and warm. Once again, thank you, Akiyama-san. I promise I'll wear it every winter day." Tanigawa said as he grabbed Akiyama's hand, smiling like usual. The woman looked like she'll explode any moment now.

"Y-you don't have to…" Akiyama said nervously, though she's pretty happy by the looks of it.

The room went to an awkward silence, all eyes on the lovey dovey couple.

"Well," I cleared my throat, breaking the silence. "The others haven't opened their presents yet."

"Uh- yeah, I'll open mine." Tainaka ripped her present open, revealing something black in a jar.

"Ah, that's mine." Manabe said proudly.

"Ink? Uh, it's not new year yet." I said to the glasses girl.

Kotobuki opened hers to reveal a pair of cute mittens from Yui's sister, though the gift giver looked a tad disappointed. For what reason, I don't know. The others don't seem to notice, though. And Kotobuki was too happy to receive something so useful for the cold days.

Manabe got a box, which popped out a little toy chick when opened. Nobody was amused. Of course, a prank like this would be Tainaka's doing.

Yui's sister took out a box of various sweets given by Kotobuki. That stuff looked expensive.

I guess it's time to deduct little sister's disappointment.

Let's see… it's quite obvious that she's disappointed because the gift didn't reach the person she wanted to. The question is, who is this person? Of course, a person who didn't wear mittens. Little sister didn't meet the members of the club every day, so they're pretty much eliminated. Logically thinking, she's aiming for Yui, her older sister. They're together every day and knew each others' problems pretty well. Plus, a girl like Yui could easily forgot her mittens and lost it.

Mystery solved, now I need the right timing to talk to her.

"Ah, I need to use the bathroom."

Perfect.

"I'll show you the place." I said to Yui's sister.

I went out with little sister following suit. I showed her the bathroom and waited for her to finish. Once done, I stopped her from getting back to the room.

"You intended to give that to your sister, aren't you?" I asked her in a low voice, not wanting the others to hear, though the thick walls of this house was effective enough in suppresing the sounds to get to the other room.

She smiled lightly. "As expected, you could guess these things easily, Yamamoto-senpai." Little sister then sighed. "Yes, you're right. Nee-chan lost her mittens just the other day, and I wanted to get her a new pair."

I nodded, understanding the situation. "That's very nice of you. But gift exchanging is a game of chance, it's not a sure way to give it to your sister."

"Well, it's okay. At least Mugi-senpai is happy. And nee-chan looks way happier than ever to get a gift from you, Yamamoto-senpai." Yui's dependable sister smiled, regaining her usual self.

I don't know why, but I don't like it when someone's disappointed. "Don't worry about Yui's mittens. I'll do something." I said to her.

"Thank you, Yamamoto-senpai."

The rest of the day was spent with chatting about random stuff. When the night came, I escorted the girls to their respective homes. Remember that, kids. It's our duty as a gentleman to escort the ladies to their homes when it's already dark. Tanigawa went with Akiyama and Manabe, while I took care of Tainaka, Kotobuki, and the Hirasawa sisters.

This new scarf of mine feels good to wear. I looked like Revolver Ocelot with the FOXHOUND coat on me.

I'm pretty thankful for this gift, though simple, it shows that Yui cared for my well being.

Thank you, Yui.


	24. Delayed!

_Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way…_

The date is 25th December, and the streets were still bustling about with festivals. I took a walk in the night with nothing in mind. Equipped with my favorite FOXHOUND coat, a pair of mittens, and the scarf Yui gave me, I walked the streets without any problem with the cold wind striking at me. The city was full of decorative lights left and right, and the people walked in pairs. It seems I'm the only one alone in here.

I promised little sister to bought Yui a new pair of mittens, so I walked towards the shopping district. But as I took a step to the area, I spotted the previously mentioned person. She noticed my face and ran up to me.

"Hiromi-kun! What are you doing?" Yui asked me with curiosity.

"Taking a walk." I answered nonchalantly. "You?"

"I'm thinking of buying a new pair of mittens, but they seem to be expensive…"

Well yeah. In the winter, they'll raise their prices in warm clothing. I have a thought of buying her one, but it's too goddamn expensive. With a few seconds of thinking, I got an idea.

"Here, use mine. I don't need it." I said as I took off my thick mittens.

"Eh? But you'll be cold-"

"I said I don't need it. I'm quite adaptive in any weather." I stated as I threw the mittens to her face.

"Well, okay then." She agreed and put on the mittens. "It's warm… thank you, Hiromi-kun!"

We walked side by side on the festive streets. I had my hands in my coat pocket until Yui pulled my right hand out and grabbed it.

"What the hell are you doing?" I asked, a bit annoyed.

"It'll be warmer if I hold it." She said with a smile.

It's true actually, but I don't want people to get the wrong idea here.

As we walked for a bit, I saw a certain peach haired man walking alone on the street. He spotted us holding hands and smirked. I reflexively pulled my right arm, though a little too late.

"Sorry, didn't mean to ruin your night." He said as he approached us.

"Shut up. What the hell are you doing, wandering around at night? Don't you have a café to run?" I asked the sarcastic man.

"Nah, I think I'll take a break for a while. 'sides, the people would prefer bigger cafés than mine."

"If you say so… found anything interesting?"

"No. Just lovey dovey couples walking around, like you two."

I sighed, pressing the palm of my hand to my face.

"Ah, is that Ricchan?" Yui pointed across the street.

We turned our heads to see the familiar president of our club, slowly walking without someone by her side. She looked kind of lonely, I noted. It's pretty unusual for her to be that.

"Ha, let's catch her by surprise." Chihaya said with a mean smile on his face. He ran across the street with haste and stalked Tainaka, we followed suit.

"What is she doing, all alone at this time?" I asked no one in particular, peeking out of a wall.

"Dunno, might be looking for a date." Chihaya answered rather randomly.

Pfft, I don't think Tainaka had an interest in love. She's just another eccentric girl in our school, kind of similar to Suzumiya.

"Why don't you greet her, Chihaya-kun?" Yui said to the chef.

"I'll do that." He replied, running towards the tomboy's back.

As he approached Tainaka's back, he said with a dead on impression of a gentleman, "Why hello, miss. Why should a beautiful creature like you roam the night by yourself? It's quite unacceptable."

"Wha- I'm not- oh, it's you." Tainaka realized the face of the chef after she turned her back. Though she looked a little annoyed, I could see a little tint of pink on her face, due to the freezing air maybe.

"Ha, like hell a guy would just run up to you and asked you for a date." Chihaya said to Tainaka with an annoying look on his face.

"I could care less about that. What are you doing, walking around at night? With Yui and Yamamoto, too." The drummer turned her head to us.

"We met by accident. I guess we all got nothing else to do." I stated to Tainaka.

"Well, I think I'll just walk with you guys." She said with a smile, her earlier loneliness disappearing.

We walked in pairs, with Chihaya and Tainaka exchanging insults in front of Yui and me.

"I saw you guys at the cultural festival. How did you get those outfits?" Chihaya asked us, looking curious and confused.

"Apparently, we have a lunatic of a teacher who liked to do stuff like that." I answered him.

"Really." He said, an interested look on his face. "Pretty flashy, those outfits are. I couldn't see Tainaka's though, her forehead blinded the crowd"

Chihaya earned a playful fist to the face after he said those words.

"No, seriously. I couldn't see it clearly, you're behind the drums." The sarcastic chef corrected himself.

"That's why I don't like being a drummer… I don't stand out pretty much." Tainaka stated with a bit of melancholy in her tone. Chihaya looked at her with a serious expression for once.

I was thinking of giving her a lecture about drums, but since Chihaya is here, I kept my mouth shut. I'll let him do the job.

"Is it really that important, the appearance?" he asked a serious question.

"Well, I think it is." Tainaka answered.

"No, it's not. At least not for me." Chihaya stated, looking forwards, "The drummer is the most depressing member in a band. They don't stand out, and most people would like the front row of the band more. But without a drummer, a band would be rendered useless. A drummer's job is to keep the beat of the song, if there are none, it'll be a mess. I guess you could say the drummer is the most praiseworthy member in the band, they united the band together as one, like an adhesive. All in all, appearance doesn't matter if you're the most awesome member in the band." Chihaya concluded with a genuine smile on his face as he turned his head to the drummer.

Tainaka was unable to mutter any word, she stared at the chef with wide eyes. Suddenly she let out a small giggle, "I never thought my way of thinking would be changed by you of all people." She then smiled at Chihaya. "Though you're right. I liked being the most awesome member in the band. Thanks, Chihaya."

"Yeah, well, even though I said that, doesn't make you the most awesome member in the band." Chihaya regained his sarcastic self back.

"Since you have my thanks, I don't want to make a comeback to that." Tainaka stated, punching his arm playfully. I could see her smile still on her face.

As I looked far away to the front, I noticed two familiar people.

"Ain't that familiar…" I announced. The others looked at me, then turned their heads towards the direction I'm looking.

"Tanigawa-kun and Mio-chan, what are they doing?" Yui looked towards the duo far in front of us, putting a hand above her eyes.

Yep, the lovey dovey duo were walking together side by side, with Tanigawa wearing his new coat.

"Interesting…" Tainaka and Chihaya said simultaneously, an evil look on their faces. "Let's follow them!" The tomboy ran to a nearby tree, hiding from the couple's sights, Chihaya and Yui followed suit.

I'm good at stalking people and all. But in a group like this, I don't think it's a good idea. Still, I followed them.

"Ah, they're going to the shopping district."

The couple walked to various shops, looking for nothing in particular. I guess it's just a usual date. Though I'm quite curious of what's going on between the two, have they dated yet?

"Chihaya, your jacket has a hood on it. Blend into the crowd and go incognito, eavesdrop on their conversation." I said to the chef.

"Got it." He put on his hood and ran to the crowd, stopping behind the couple's back.

It's quite fun, stalking people. Watching someone when they can't see you is always a pleasurable feeling. After a few minutes, the couple walked away, heading towards the direction of the park. Chihaya ran back to us.

"Your usual romcom conversation. Said they're heading to the park for a rest." He reported.

"No time to lose!" Tainaka ran up to an alleyway which is a shortcut leading to the park, with us following.

We hid behind the bushes, with the dark of the night acting as our reliable cover other than the leaves. We spotted the targets walking towards the bench in front of us. We got our heads down, making sure not a single sound was produced.

"It sure is a quite festive night." Tanigawa said casually as he sat down beside Akiyama.

"Yeah, the lights are so pretty, I'm happy with just seeing it." The black haired girl replied. I couldn't see their faces clearly due to the dim light of the lamppost.

"It's a wonder, Christmas is." The gentleman leaned at the bench, enjoying the brief moment of silence. "Would you like a drink?" he asked, turning his head to the woman.

"Ah, if you please."

"What would you like?"

"Orange juice, please." Akiyama turned her head to the man with a thankful smile.

"Just a moment." Tanigawa got up from his seat and walked towards the vending machine. I don't like the idea of leaving a woman alone in the park in the night at first, but as I saw the vending machine is just a few meters away, and is visible from here, I took back my words. Tanigawa must've analyzed the possibilities of what would happen if he left Akiyama alone, I knew the guy well, so I don't have to worry.

Akiyama let out a tired breath, and slapped her face lightly with both of her mittens covered hands a few times, whilst muttering, "I can do this, I can do this."

What is she intending to do? Wait, don't tell me…

"She's gonna tell him!" Tainaka whispered to us, we nodded simultaneously, waiting for the moment to arrive.

Tanigawa walked back with a can of orange juice in his hand. He handed the can to the woman and sat to his previous seat.

"Um, Tanigawa-kun… actually, there's something I need to tell you…" Akiyama said nervously, hanging her head down.

The gentleman turned his head to Akiyama, an expression of curiosity on his face. "What is it, Akiyama-san?"

We braced for the moment of truth, I felt Yui clenched my coat.

"Actually, um-"

"WAAAH! LIZARD!"

Tainaka jumped out of the bushes, a green lizard on her back.

"Get it off me!" We went out simultaneously to assist the struggling girl, who was now rolling on the ground. Chihaya grabbed the lizard by its tail and threw it away to the bushes, back to its home.

"Ritsu? You guys, what are you doing here?" Akiyama asked with a confused and surprised expression. Tanigawa looked pretty confused as well.

"Ah, um… nothing. We're doing nothing." Tainaka scratched the back of her head nervously.

"Bail!" I shouted, the group ran to separate directions, the duo were confused even further.

Well, I think this'll need an explanation later. But for now, I think Akiyama's confession is delayed.

I'll leave Tainaka to do the explanation, it's her idea after all.


	25. The Confession of Akiyama Mio

"You guys ruined my only chance!"

We were now in the clubroom with all the members inside, save Tanigawa who had a cleaning duty. The voice that just boomed was none other than the person who had failed in confessing her feelings just the other night, due to an unexpected turn of events.

"I already said I'm sorry!" shouted Tainaka, rubbing her head to ease the pain from Akiyama's falcon punch.

"Well, there's always tomorrow…" I said to the female bassist.

"I don't know if I could build up the courage to do that again…" she replied sadly.

I sighed through my nose, thinking of what would be best to help Akiyama. I hung my head and closed my eyes, hearing the sound coming from my acoustic guitar which is now Yui's. It seems she's getting better, I might need to teach her the next step soon.

"Why not make it a bit more… eventful?" Kotobuki suggested.

"Eventful?" I asked, turning my head to the blonde.

"I mean, a confession is kind of a once in a lifetime thing, so why not make it more eventful?" she explained.

"I kind of get that… though what could we do?" I'm getting quite interested in this.

"Well, for one, Mio-chan has a nice voice. Maybe she could sing her heart out to him?" yet another suggestion from Kotobuki.

"Interesting…" I muttered to myself.

"Wait, wait, wait! I can't do that!" Akiyama panicked. I guess just by imagining it could wreck a nerve.

"I'm sure Tanigawa would like to see that." Tainaka stated.

"Pretty damn sure." I added. I could easily see that the guy's in love with Akiyama, doesn't take a goddamn genius to find out.

I heard footsteps from outside closing in to our location. I guess that's Tanigawa. "Everyone, we'll discuss this at my house later." I quickly informed the room. Before they could let out a word, the door opened.

"Ah, I'm sorry for my lateness." Tanigawa apologized with his usual smile.

The heads were all turned towards the just arrived gentleman, and each of them looked at him with a rather surprised expression, save Akiyama who looked pretty nervous. The room went to an awkward silence, I'm pretty sure I could hear a chess piece being moved coming from the adjacent room, where the SOS Brigade is located.

"Is something wrong?" the gentleman raised both of his eyebrows in confusion.

"No, they're just acting weird as usual." I said to him.

Tanigawa chuckled lightly before coming in and closing the door behind him. "I must say, though, it's quite a skill of espionage you have there. I didn't notice we were being followed." He stated without even a little bit of annoyance in his tone. I guess this guy didn't mind being followed.

"I'll take that as a compliment. Sorry for ruining your night." I said to him.

"Ah, it is fine, Yamamoto-san. I'm sure Akiyama-san didn't mind, too. Right, Akiyama-san?"

Akiyama snapped out of her staring at Tanigawa, "Wha- oh, yeah, of course I didn't mind." She added a nervous laugh after that.

"Hiromi-kun! I can do it!" Yui exclaimed, looking up to me with proud, shiny eyes.

"Is that so... let's hear it."

I observed her fingers as she played the basic melody. She's doing well, without even a little stutter.

"Good, now for the next step…" I grabbed my guitar, "Ring the three strings individually, starting from the 3rd, 2nd, 1st, then back to the 2nd and 3rd." I explained whilst giving her an example. "And don't forget the bass, the 6th string."

She tried with yet another dedication that couldn't break. I'm quite proud of having an 'apprentice' like her. I'm always happy when I saw someone who doesn't want to give up, however hard their tasks are.

"Coffee, Yamamoto-san?" Tanigawa offered me as he fixed a cup of his own.

"Sure, thanks." I got up from the bench and headed to the table.

The rest of the afternoon was spent usually, with Yui's practice acting as our background music. We left the school just before it gets dark. After making Tanigawa is out of sight, we assembled once more, heading to my house.

The cold breeze could still be felt, it was in the middle of the winter season, and the New Year is coming up shortly. I guess that's a good time to confess one's feelings, the New Year's Eve.

We arrived at my house after a few minutes of walking. After letting the girls in, I served them a nice cup of warm cocoa. We rested ourselves with our legs under the kotatsu.

"Alright, so… what's the plan?" I started with asking Kotobuki, who was the mastermind of this operation.

"Well, since it's closing to New Year, I figured that'll be the best time to convey one's feelings to someone."

Huh, she had the same thought.

"What about the venue?" Tainaka asked, taking a sip of her warm drink.

"Chihaya's would be good." I suggested.

"Will we be disturbing the other customers?"

"Nah, it'll be just us." I assured Tainaka. I could ask Chihaya to close down the café so we could have the place to ourselves.

"Guys, I don't think I can do this." Akiyama piped up.

"You can. Just don't think about yourself, think about Tanigawa too. I'm sure he would be more than happy to receive something so special." I said to her.

"Really…" the black haired woman hung her head, seems to be deep in thought. Suddenly, she jolted her head to us, an expression of determination on her face.

"I'll do it!"

The girls smiled at the woman, and nodded in approval.

"Then, what about the song?" Yui asked the group, peeling an orange she grabbed from the basket at the table.

The room went to a 'hmm' as we thought of a good song for the confession. That was, until an idea popped at my head.

"How about 'Eyes on Me'?"

"Ah, that one from Final Fantasy VIII?" Kotobuki asked me.

"Yeah, that one- wait. How did you know?"

"I've played the game." The blonde stated with an innocent smile.

Okay, this is unexpected. It's usually the guys that played RPGs, this is the first time I've met a woman playing it.

"Anyway," I cleared my throat, "The song's in English, think you could pull it?" I asked the singer.

"Uh, I don't know… maybe." She said with uncertainty.

"With a bit of practice, I think you could." Kotobuki assured the woman.

"I don't know the song." She said to us.

I pulled out my phone, remembering I have the song in it. I played it in loudspeaker so everyone could hear it. I'm pretty sure Akiyama could pull something like this, she's quite talented.

The song ended, I put my phone on the table for future use.

"I think Mio could pull that one." Tainaka agreed.

"The lyrics are beautiful, too." Kotobuki commented.

"Would Tanigawa-kun understand what it means, though?" Yui asked us. I'm pretty sure she didn't understand the lyrics.

"Of course he could, that guy's in the same level as Kotobuki and me when it comes to English." I said to her.

"It's settled then!" Tainaka announced.

And so, the practice began. It is said that Kotobuki will be tutoring Akiyama for the event. The days passed by without any of us noticing, and the time came for the moment of truth. In the morning of New Year's Eve, I came by to Castanet Café to do some preparations. I have called Chihaya regarding the event just the other day, he agreed to do so, stating that there'll be no customers anyway.

"But seriously, confessing to someone through a song? That's something else."

I am now in the café with Chihaya, moving some tables and chairs to clear out some space for Akiyama's performance.

"I know. The woman's head over heels with that guy." I said to the chef, moving a few chairs.

"How romantic." Chihaya sarcastically muttered.

The place's quite spacious now, all that's left is the audio equipments I brought from home. Well, I guess it's time I push the fast forward button again… I don't want to bore you all

The night came by rather quickly, and the café's pretty much decorated with shiny stuffs. The girls should be here any minute now.

So in summary, the plan will be convincing Tanigawa that Akiyama would be late. Without him realizing, the woman should come out from nowhere and started singing her heart out. Ha, he wouldn't expect this.

The club came in time, each wearing their coats and held an expression of anticipation. Yui's sister and Manabe were also invited.

"Ah, where's Akiyama-san?" Tanigawa noticed the absence of his soon-to-be lover.

"She said she's gonna be late, some family stuff or something." Tainaka said to the gentleman.

"I see…" He looked rather disappointed.

The gang chatted away, completely oblivious of the sound coming from the back door. I went to the kitchen to take a look. Once inside, I was greeted by the sight of Akiyama, wearing a simple, sleeveless black dress, with the ring from Tanigawa shining brightly. I also noted she didn't wear any make up, due to Tanigawa's simple tastes. She was taking off her coat when I saw her, so I took it from her hands.

"Suits you well." I complimented.

"Y-you think so?" She nervously twitched.

"Hey, Hiromi, the lights are re- holy mother of God."

Chihaya stopped on his tracks and observed Akiyama. "I've died and gone to heaven." He stated.

I chuckled lightly at that. "Don't worry Akiyama, you can do this. Now, are you ready?"

She let out one long breath, "When you are." I might've seen her eyes burning with determination, or maybe that's just me.

"Let's get it on!" Chihaya went out to do some preparations, I followed suit.

"Lights!" I cued, the room went to darkness before a spotlight popped up, lighting the empty space we had arranged.

Tanigawa looked confused for a second, before spotting Akiyama making her entrance with the intro of the song as the background. That look on his face was pretty priceless. I've never seen the man looked pretty surprised.

"A song, dedicated to you, Tanigawa-kun…" Akiyama said softly under the spotlight before she started singing.

_Whenever sang my songs  
>On the stage, on my own<br>Whenever said my words  
>Wishing they would be heard<br>I saw you smiling at me  
>Was it real or just my fantasy?<br>You'd always be there in the corner  
>Of this tiny little bar<em>

_My last night here for you  
>Same old songs, just once more<br>My last night here with you?  
>Maybe yes, maybe no<br>I kind of liked it your way  
>How you shyly placed your eyes on me<em>

_Oh, did you ever know?  
>That I had mine on you<em>

She got the voice dead on, I love it. I knew she could pull this song without trouble, and Kotobuki's attempt at tutoring her was a success, she could pronounce the words right without a single mistake. I took a glance at Tanigawa, he stared at the woman in amazement, with his eyes wide and mouth agape.

_Darling, so there you are  
>With that look on your face<br>As if you're never hurt  
>As if you're never down<br>Shall I be the one for you?  
>Who pinches you softly but sure<br>If frown is shown then  
>I will know that you are no dreamer<em>

_So let me come to you  
>Close as I wanted to be<br>Close enough for me  
>To feel your heart beating fast<br>And stay there as I whisper_

_How I loved your peaceful eyes on me  
>did you ever know<br>That I had mine on you_

"Damn, she's pretty good." Chihaya whispered to me.

"I know, she's talented."

"Tanigawa's pretty lucky to have someone like her, I guess the guy deserves it."

I smirked at the man. "You jelly, Chihaya?"

"Not a chance." He replied with a scoff.

_Darling, so share with me  
>Your love if you have enough<br>Your tears if you're holding back  
>Or pain if that's what it is<br>How can I let you know  
>I'm more than the dress and the voice<br>Just reach me out then  
>You will know that you're not dreaming<em>

_Darling, so there you are  
>With that look on your face<br>As if you're never hurt  
>As if you're never down<br>Shall I be the one for you?  
>Who pinches you softly but sure<br>If frown is shown then  
>I will know that you are no dreamer <em>

The song ended, earning a round of applause from the audience. Tanigawa sat there speechless, with the earlier expression still intact.

"This is what I wanted to say to you just the other day, I love you, Tanigawa-kun." Akiyama conveyed her feelings without a single doubt or regret, though a nervous look can be seen slightly on her face, and the blush was pretty visible. I could hear squeals coming from the girls.

Tanigawa regained his usual self back, though blushing ever so slightly. He stood up from his seat and approached Akiyama with a smile. He grabbed both of her hands and brought his face close to hers.

"I love you too, Akiyama-san." He said in a soft voice.

The room went to a cheer, I even couldn't hide the smile on my face. I guess they really loved each other.

"What the hell are you waiting for, kiss her!" Chihaya shouted.

"Kiss her! Kiss her!" the girls cheered.

The duo looked pretty embarrassed at first, then smiled at each other. With the festive sounds outside, and the New Year closing by, under the blinding spotlight, the only place where there's light in this dark room, they kissed. The room went to another cheer, more loudly this time.

"Get the lights back, Chihaya." I said to the chef.

"Sure." He then walked towards the switches.

The spotlight turned off, followed by the blinding lights of the café turning back on.

The duo walked towards the table whilst holding hands. The club congratulates the newly born couple, and wished for them to be always together. We then sat down and had dinner, courtesy of the owner of the café.

"Thank you everyone, for making this event a success." Akiyama thanked all of us.

"It is quite surprising, I never thought it would come to this." Tanigawa scratched the back of his head, which was pretty out of character for him.

"That means Kotobuki's plan worked." I pointed to the mastermind.

"I guess we need to have a toast." Tainaka lifted her glass high up in the air, everybody, me included, followed suit.

"For the newborn couple, Mio and Tanigawa! May happiness be with them forever!" She announced. All the glasses collided, producing a loud 'clink' sound.

"But seriously, that was pretty brave of you, Akiyama." Chihaya said after he took a swig of his beer. "Not many people do that these days, the cowards mostly send an e-mail of their confessions."

Akiyama laughed lightly, "Yeah, it's Mugi's idea, actually. But it was quite nerve-wrecking, I don't know what Tanigawa-kun would answer after I confessed."

"Anyways, shouldn't you guys be calling each other by your given names now?" Manabe piped up.

"We'll do that. Right, Mio-san?" Tanigawa turned his head to his lover.

I snickered at that.

"Of course, Kaito-kun!" Akiyama replied happily.

Chihaya turned on the small TV to see the time. It was a few seconds before the New Year starts, and the people were counting down the seconds.

"3…2…1… Happy New Year!"

The room went to a cheer, knowing the year had passed.

"Time goes by pretty fast." Chihaya stated, his hand propping his chin.

"Yeah, it's New Year already."

"Anyways, it's time to get you guys home. Your parents might be worried." I said to the others.

"Don't worry, we said we're staying over at your house, Yamamoto!" Tainaka stated.

"Yeah, we'll be having a sleepover at Hiromi-kun's house!" Yui chirped.

"I'm not informed of this." I said, feeling a bit uneasy with the thought of the club staying at my house for the night.

"Don't sweat the little details, c'mon, let's go!"

We walked through the festive streets, with people overwhelmed with joy to our left and right. The cold wind of winter didn't stop us from moving our legs to the Yamamoto residence. Shining above us was the moon, with its pale light defeated by the decorative lamps on the streets. The sounds of music from several directions can be heard, some of them from the stores, some from far away. I walked beside Chihaya in the back, with the newborn couple in front of us walking hand in hand, and the rest of the girls leading the way.

We reached my house in a matter of minutes. I opened the door and let everyone in, telling them to leave their coats in the rack. It seems the girls wanted to sleep at the spacious living room, I guess I have to bring my futon along with dad's downstairs.

"Make yourselves at home." I said to the guests for the night. I walked upstairs to my father's room to get his unused futon.

As I walked back downstairs, I was greeted by the sight of Tainaka and Chihaya sitting Indian style, facing the huge TV while playing Resident Evil 5. The others were sitting on the couch, while the couple sat on the kotatsu.

"Pulling an all nighter?" I asked the duo.

"That's our plan." Tainaka stated.

I threw the futons to the floor, resulting in Yui jumping straight to the comfy thin bed.

"Turn it up!" I grabbed the remote for the TV and turned the volume way up to make the game more adrenaline pumping.

"Whoa, the neighbors would get mad at a time like this!" Tainaka said to me, her voice defeated by the sounds coming from the TV.

"Don't worry, the room's sound-proof." I said to her.

The duo continued their game. Manabe and Yui's sister watched them from the couch. Akiyama and Tanigawa were watching by the kotatsu, with the woman looking scared as usual.

I threw my body to the merged futons, lying down beside Yui.

We spent the night together, ignoring the muffled sounds of the festival coming from the streets. This place of mine turned to a lively home. With the happy feelings everybody have, the dark and lonely atmosphere in my house were gone.

The morning came. They say that if you view the first sunrise of the year, it is thought to be a good and proper start for the New Year. Well, I think it's just another bull.

We all went out to let the cold winter morning breeze greet us. The sun was rising, and the streets were quiet, due to the all out party last night.

"Well, let's hope this year would be better than last year!" Tainaka exclaimed with high spirits, though her drowsiness can be seen clearly.

"I guess it's time to get some shut-eye." I said to the others, they were looking pretty sleepy.

"How come you don't feel drowsy, Hiromi-kun?" Yui asked me whilst rubbing her eyes with the mittens I gave her.

"Force of habit." I stated plainly. I don't know why, but I think it's a habit inherited by my father. He's a hard working man, after all.

I guided the girls inside the Yamamoto residence once again. They all slept soundly just right after they touched the futon. Yui slept beside her sister, with Manabe and Kotobuki close to them. Akiyama and Tanigawa were sleeping with their faces barely apart. Chihaya and Tainaka were sleeping closely together, due to the shortage of the futons, they have to share it.

I smiled as I took a glance at my friends, they looked pretty innocent when they're sleeping.

Having someone that cared for your well being, when you're in trouble, there's always someone lending a helping hand. The vanishment of the lonely feeling inside of me, and the constant happiness they bring me.

It's truly a wonder, friendship is.


	26. Is That Really Obligatory Chocolate?

**Author's Note: Thanks for the thumbs up, Tanaka Hikaru! I can't promise you to update faster, but I'll try. It's just that recently, a huge wall blocked me from getting to imagination land. Anyways, enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

><p>The date is February 11th. With Valentine's Day closing by, the stores were all filled with lovey dovey decorations as well as sales on chocolates. I was hiking the steep hill to get to my school with the temperature not as cold as New Year's. To my left and right were random female students talking about who they wanted to give the chocolate to. Huh, what's so special about giving someone a chocolate? And Saint Valentine isn't even related to romance at all in the original biographies! Maybe it's just a made up story made by the chocolate industries to increase their income or something.<p>

I threw away the thought, knowing that it'll only tire my mind. I guess I should focus on something else instead. The couple that was born in the New Year was doing well, without any problems whatsoever. And I'm pretty sure Akiyama would give her boyfriend a chocolate for the event.

School went by uneventfully. When the last bell of the day rang, I automatically walked towards the music room like a robot. It's been a habit of mine to do this after school.

"Good afternoon, Yamamoto-kun." Kotobuki greeted me as I walked in. The familiar scent of tea can be smelled.

"Yo," I greeted, throwing my bag to the bench where Yui sat, honing her skills in fingerstyle guitar. I noted Tanigawa is absent, and remembered that today he had cleaning duties.

"Hiromi-kun, I can play it!" Yui said to me, a proud smile on her face.

I'm not surprised. "Let's hear it, then." I said to her, feeling rather proud.

She played the tune with grace, without a single note missed. The song is 'Romance d'Amour', a basic song for the novices of fingertsyling.

"It's so soothing." Akiyama commented as the tune filled the room.

I closed my eyes and let my sense of hearing took over. What Akiyama had stated is true, when you hear someone else playing, you'll say that it's pretty good. But if the player heard the tune they played, they will say that it isn't good enough. There's always a feeling of unsatisfactory, though the others stated that it's good.

"Great job." I praised her. "I'll teach you the next song tomorrow."

Yui gave me a happy smile that's quite pleasing to my eyes. Somehow I felt really tranquil when she did that.

"You really are something else, Yamamoto-kun. What would Yui-chan be without you…" Kotobuki said to me. It seems she really enjoyed hearing the tune Yui played just now.

"It's an essential to learn fingerstyle for guitar players. I'm just sick in hearing people stating they can play the guitar when they only learn the chords." I explained to the blonde.

Kotobuki sighed, looking disappointed. "As expected from Yamamoto-kun…" She muttered.

"Come again?"

"Ah, nothing…"

"You're hopeless, Yamamoto." Tainaka stated plainly. Akiyama pressed the palm of her right hand to her face.

What the hell are these girls talking about?

Yui put a hand on my shoulder. "It's alright, Hiromi-kun, it's alright." She said with a smile. I raised one eyebrow, feeling rather confused.

What, they're expecting a different answer? I think it's the most suitable answer of all, I don't see any other options here…

Just as I was in a state of daze and confusion, the door opened, revealing a handsome face with the everlasting smile on it. Tanigawa greeted everyone in the room, gently putting his bag on the bench. He then walked towards his girlfriend and kissed her lightly in the cheek, resulting in a blushing black haired woman.

The day went by like any other days, with the club chatting and Yui practicing. Even though it seems like an infinite loop, it's quite fun. I don't know why, but I'm actually enjoying myself being here. It's like a second home to me.

I went home with the earlier conversation with the girls on my mind. I don't get it, what were they expecting? No matter how much I think of it, I still don't get the answer. Feeling rather tired, I decided to throw the mystery away for another day.

Arriving at my home after a few minutes of walking, I took a bath to refresh myself. It was when I decided to go for a smoke my phone vibrates. I took a look at the caller I.D. to see the name 'Chihaya' on the small screen. Wondering what he wanted, I flipped open my phone and pressed it against my ear.

"Hello?"

"Ah, Hiromi, regarding Valentine's Day…"

"What about it?" I asked, a bit curious.

"If you receive something that reminds you of me, please don't mention my name. Knowing you, I think I need to tell you of this." Said the other side of the line.

"What? What are you talking about?" I was confused, unable to decipher his saying.

"Well, you'll find out soon. Just remember what I said. Have a good day." He then hung up, leaving me dazzled.

I raised an eyebrow at the phone, though it won't give me answers. I decided to throw my phone to the couch and let my tired mind rest for a while.

"Whatever."

February 14th, Valentine's Day. As I hiked the steep hill to the school, I saw most of the female students carrying bright colored bags of various sizes. Though some of them were looking pretty nervous, the rest were walking in high spirits with a burning determination on their eyes. I also noted that the males were also excited, wondering if they'll get something from their sweethearts.

Me, I walked just like any other day. Even though I can't get the words coming from Chihaya out of my mind. I'm quite curious at what'll happen today.

The class went by in a flash, though not really tiring due to the easy subjects for today. I walked to the clubroom with Yui by my side. She was acting a bit funny, she's never been this quiet. I decided not to ask, though. It might be a private matter that she doesn't want to share. To our left and right were female students giving their chocolates to the males, with a visible blush on their faces. I guess this is what you call as 'love is in the air'.

As we reached the clubroom, we saw not a single soul inside. It was pretty deserted, like there was a murder case here. It's pretty suspicious, I suspected that it was a setup for me. I vaporized the thought of that, though. I don't think the club would set me up for whatever reason.

"It sure is quiet." Yui said, breaking the silence.

"Yeah." Was my short answer.

Yui sat on the bench, setting her bag beside her. I can't help but notice her weirdness, she's pretty anxious about something, yet I can't put my finger on why. Did she want me to ask? I don't think I'll be able to help her if she were to confess her problems to me.

Deciding to let it go, I took my guitar from the stand. "Alright, I'm gonna teach you the next song. You ready?"

Yui snapped out of her daydream, looking at me with an anxious expression. "Ah, before that…" She then reached out for her bag, opening it. The girl took out a rather feminine bag of small size with pink colors and a few mix of white hearts printed on it.

"This is for you, Hiromi-kun!" Yui shoved the bag to my face, blocking my view.

I raised one eyebrow, then snatched the bag, revealing a blushing Yui looking towards the floor. I took out the content of the bag to see a small white box. Inside it, was a pile of chocolate truffles, looking pretty delicious.

"For always helping me out." Yui said to me with a soft smile, her usual cheerful self is back.

"Thanks." I muttered. I took a piece and put it inside my mouth. The taste was bitter, just the way I liked it. But this taste… it reminds me of…

Chihaya!

So this is what he meant by those words. But why can't I mention his name? I'll have to ask later.

"How is it?" Yui asked me, leaning closer to my face with a curious expression.

"Dark chocolate… I like it. Thanks, Yui."

She shot me another one of those sweet smiles, the one that made me feel pretty tranquil, peaceful. Somehow I don't want that smile to disappear, I don't know why. Without a reason, I automatically smiled with her, it's like a ghost possessed me into smiling or something.

My ears picked up some sounds from outside, near the door. Curious, I strode my legs quietly to the door and opened it with a sudden movement. There stood the rest of the club in a good position for eavesdropping.

"Uh, hello, Yamamoto." Tainaka greeted me nervously.

"What the hell are you guys doing?" I raised one eyebrow at the obscure sight.

"Nothing." Kotobuki stated calmly with her usual smile, walking into the room followed by the rest of the club.

"Ah, I need to use the bathroom." Yui stood up from her seat and scurried away towards the said location.

"I see you got a chocolate from Yui." Akiyama said after the door closed, looking at the box I held.

It was pretty obvious she's acting. She might forget that I'm a master in microexpressions. Though a bit annoyed, I decided to let it slip this time. I see these guys tried to set me up to being alone with Yui.

"Yeah, so?"

Tainaka sighed, shaking her head a few times. "You really don't know what it means when you received chocolate on Valentine's don't you?"

"It's obligatory chocolate. Everybody receive that." I said to her, tossing another piece of the bitter chocolate to my mouth.

"Is it really obligatory chocolate?" Kotobuki asked me with her usual gentle smile on her face.

"She gave it because I helped her with the guitar."

"Well, she doesn't state that it's obligatory chocolate, right?"

"Just shut up."

So I received a chocolate in Valentine's Day. Big deal.

As expected, Tanigawa got a chocolate cake made by his lover. Of course, he was way too happy to receive it, and landed a kiss to show his gratitude. How goddamn romantic.

That evening, I went to Castanet Café to work. Of course, I demanded an explanation from the chef.

"Hirasawa came to me a few days ago, asked me to teach her how to make a good chocolate for Valentine's. The reason I warned you was because I don't want to hurt her feelings."

"Hurt her feelings? How so?"

"If you stated that the taste of the chocolate was familiar to mine, she would think that the chocolate she gave to you wasn't really special." He turned his head to me, looking serious.

I'm quite confused by that logic. "I don't get it. The familiarity of the taste doesn't matter, it's just a matter of good or bad."

"Yeah, well… that's your way of thinking. The society's way of thinking is pretty different, y'know. Hirasawa wanted to give you something special, something that you won't receive from other people. If you liked the chocolate she gave you, then she would be pretty happy that her creation was liked by someone she loved. But if she were to buy a chocolate bar from a convenience store, she would not be as happy. You get where I'm going with this?"

"Kind of… if I told her it was your recipe, she won't feel that the chocolate she gave to me was special." I'm starting to understand his meanings.

"Precisely. It's like when you're writing a song using someone else's lyrics." Chihaya gave me a revolver hand gesture.

"I see… thanks for warning me." I don't know how I'd feel if I were to hurt Yui's feelings.

"Yeah, well… you need to know a bit of people's feelings if you want to befriend them."

People's feelings, huh… I rarely thought about that. Since I'm always alone, I don't think thinking about people's feelings is necessary.

I guess I need to start thinking about it.


	27. Baking Cookies Like a Boss

"Goddamnit, this is pretty troublesome."

It is a tradition that all the males that received chocolate from the females to give something in return the next month. I am now standing in the kitchen of Castanet Café with the owner cooking some breakfast for the customers with a feeling of annoyance in me.

"Well, since she went through all the trouble only for you, I figured buying a bag of cookie from a convenience store isn't a respectable option." Chihaya stated, eyes focused on the food.

"My thoughts exactly."

"Just bake your own. It should be enough for her."

I took a glance to the corner. On top of the counter, there lies a small white box, with the wrappings scattered around it.

"From Tainaka?" I pointed at the box.

Chihaya turned his head to the direction I'm pointing and smiled. "Yeah, kind of unexpected, but she gave it to me in the night of Valentine's."

He seems pretty content with the gift, I've never seen him this happy. I scoffed in reply.

"Anyway, you should bake some cookies. I'm sure it won't be a trouble for you to do it."

"Yeah, yeah, don't worry about it."

I went home after my shift was done. I guess it's baking time.

Arriving at my home, I started making the dough for the cookies. I figured chocolate chip is good enough, that girl would eat anything that's sweet.

Yep, fast forward time!

I took out the tray from the oven, breathing the smell of freshly baked cookies. After letting it cool down for a while, I took a taste test to make sure it's good enough.

"Good."

I then put the cookies inside a small paperboard white box. I'm not really interested in decorating stuffs, so I guess this should do the job just fine.

The next day, I went to school with the cookies inside my bag. I walked careful enough to avoid crushing the fragile food.

I made it to the classroom without damaging the cookies eventually. I think I'll give this to her in the clubroom after school.

Yui took constant glances at me, looking as if she wanted something. I raised an eyebrow at that, I guess she wanted the White Day cookies pretty bad.

The sun sets without me noticing, and the time came for me to do my cleaning duty.

"I heard you received a chocolate from Yui."

I turned my head to Manabe, she was sweeping the floor with me like usual.

"Yeah." I answered nonchalantly.

The glasses girl giggled lightly, "That was to be expected. She never stops talking about you." She then turned her head to the floor, her gentle smile can be seen. "Remember our conversation quite some time ago? About the reason Yui went through all the trouble to help you?"

"What about it?"

"Have you figured out the theory I have in mind?"

"No, spill it."

Manabe chuckled, repositioning her glasses. "Well, I won't. It's up to you to figure it out, Yamamoto-san. You'll be surprised if you find out."

Once again, I raised an eyebrow at the girl. I'm not really in the mood for thinking right about now, so I'll let it go.

We parted ways after the class was cleaned. I took a walk to the music room, with the view of the male students giving their cookies to the females to my left and right. Some were blushing together, few of them hugged each other tightly. Once again, love is in the air. This atmosphere made me quiet uneasy… I don't know why.

I reached the clubroom through the sea of love in all parts of the school. Like usual, I was greeted by the scent of tea, along with the sounds of the members. I noted Akiyama had received her White Day present. It was a medium sized transparent plastic bag, with a few cookies inside. Seems to be basic sugar cookies.

"Yui," I called her to get her attention. As she looked at me, I took out the small box and tossed it to her, careful enough not to throw too hard.

She caught the box with both hands, inspected it, then smiled sweetly at me.

"That's one way to return a favor…" Tainaka stated, sighing at the unromantic way of giving a White Day present.

Yui stood up, box in hand, then ran up to me with arms wide open. Of course, you could guess what happened next.

"Thank you, Hiromi-kun." She thanked me with a low voice.

Okay, this is too much exaggeration. I don't think a hug is necessary.

"Yeah, whatever. Now get off of me."

"Oh, come on, Yamamoto-kun! Yui was worried that you might forget to return her favor!" Akiyama said to me.

"With all the stores decorated with White Day stuffs, how the hell can I forget?" I muttered, pushing the clinging petite girl to let go.

Yui let go of me eventually, then opened the box. She took a piece of the cookie and gave it a taste test.

"It's delicious!" She said to me with her childish smile.

Well, I guess my job is done. It's quite annoying, actually. But it was worth it. I always wanted to see that smiling face of hers. Knowing that she smiled because of me, I can't help but feel happy for some reason.

"You made that yourself, Tanigawa?" Tainaka asked the gentleman, pointing at the plastic bag of cookies.

"You are correct, Tainaka-san. I'm sorry if it didn't taste so well, Mio-san."

"It's quite a clichéd saying, but it's the thought that counts. At least you showed Mio-chan your love by remembering this day and baking your own cookies." Kotobuki said.

"Mugi's right, Kaito-kun. It's the thought that counts." Akiyama repeated, taking a bite off Tanigawa's homemade cookie. "And this is pretty good, actually." She smiled at her boyfriend, then hugged him pretty tightly. I scoffed at the sight.

"What is this, a romantic comedy movie?"

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><p><strong>Author's note: I ran out of ideas for the White Day, so this chapter is quite... bland. Sorry, I'll do my best in the next Valentine's<strong>

**Anyway, I might add a new character to pair up with Azusa. Maybe next chapter or so.  
><strong>


	28. An Old Friend

**Author's Note: I took yet another character from Harvest Moon: Animal Parade. This time it's the main character, Yuuki (Kasey in the English version).**

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><p>It was yet another cold Saturday in the streets of Tokyo. Like usual, I walked around without any purpose. The temperature was starting to warm up due to spring drawing close. It's only a matter of time before I became a junior in North High.<p>

As I walked around for a while, I noticed someone was following me. A male of my height, brown medium hair. His face covered with his fedora, his rather built body defended by the thick clothes he wore. I turned to a rather lonely street, without anyone around me. This is my chance to find out his identity.

I turned to a corner somewhat quickly, and ran around the complex to confront the stalker. I saw him peeking out of the corner without awareness of his behind. I took him by surprise, kicking his knee from behind and slammed him to a wall, holding him in a chokehold.

"Who are you, and why are you following me?" I said through gritted teeth.

He struggled for a while, before throwing his leg horizontally towards my head. Seeing the movement, I dodged the attack by ducking down and jumping back, keeping my distance from him.

The stalker stood there, preparing to attack. Eventually, he ran up to me with his hands ready for attacking. I put up my defensive stance and getting ready for the attack. He readied his right fist for a straight punch, this should be easy.

As I was ready to deflect, he spun around and threw a backhand with his left arm, which almost hit me. I once again reflexively ducked to dodge the attack, then stood up whilst grabbing his left arm. With a swift motion, I kicked his leg to disturb his balance and threw his body to the hard asphalt, earning a grunt from him. I didn't let go of his arm, just in case he wanted to attack me again.

"Spit it out! Who are you?"

The man chuckled whilst holding back the pain. "You're getting better, Hiromi…"

I was surprised, caught off guard. That voice…

"Yuuki?" I asked with disbelief.

He laughed lightly, a laugh that reminded me of three years ago. "Yeah, long time no see, partner."

I let go of him, letting him stood up. He dusted his coat, then removed his hat. No doubt about it, he's an old friend. That smiling face, that brown messy hair and eyes. Huh, I remembered that he was taller than me in junior high, now he's the same height as me.

"What the hell are you doing here? I thought you went to Osaka?" Confusion ran through me as I observed the man.

Yuuki chuckled lightly, "Yeah, that was three years ago, was it?" He looked at me for a while, "Man, you haven't change at all."

"Yeah, things went like an infinite loop, though your skills are better since we last met. Why the hell are you following me, anyway?" I asked the man.

"I wanted to give you a surprise, but that sharp instinct of yours got in my way!"

Tanaka Yuuki. I never thought I would see him again. I remembered the first time we met…

_I was in junior high then, and my father was killed in action when a suicide bomber came to his base in Afghanistan. I was alone, my friends discovered my father's identity and left me. I was lonely, and was labeled as a freak in school. One day, the kids from school decided to gang up on me, which got my anger boiled._

"_There he is, the freak!" There were many of them, and I'm not sure if I could take them all out, but I was skilled by then, father had taught me various martial arts from around the world._

_As I struggled defending from the gang attacking me with various weapons, a helping hand arrived. A man from the same school as me took out a kid from behind and knocked him unconscious._

"_It pissed me off seeing a fight that's unfair. All of you against the two of us! Bring it on!" He shouted with rage at the top of his lungs._

_And so, we fought against the gang together. I noted he wasn't using any technique, just a street brawler that relies on his strength. But it's his fighting spirit that supported him, his rage, his wrath, his anger._

_We took them all out eventually. With a tired body, my helper shouted to the kids once again, "You're all men! Do you think all of you against this one guy would be fair? Think again!"_

_After those words, we walked together to our respective homes._

"_You alright?" He asked me with a hint of worry._

"_Yeah." I stated, "I don't need your help."_

_He scoffed, smiling at the setting sun. "You're the son of the mercenary, right? I've heard of you."_

"_What? You're gonna beat me up like those other kids?" I glared at the man._

"_Whoa, don't jump to conclusions here, I just wanted to say sorry for your loss." He said with a tone of sorrow._

"_I don't need your sympathy."_

_He stared at me, raising both of his eyebrows. "Okay, tough guy…"_

That was quite memorable. It was then that the next day, he started talking to me, befriending me and defending me against the bullies. But in the end, I was the one who had to treat his injuries.

At I was seated in the classroom of 8-2, the teacher announced that Yuuki had to transfer to another school due to his father's job in Osaka. I was left alone again after that day, making the bullies came after me once more. Of course, I had no problem wasting them all. But it felt pretty different to fight alone.

The thing I liked about the guy was he isn't a loudmouth. Never was the haughty man, even though he was one of the smartest students in school. He's quite strange, often skipping class, but got the best grades when the tests came. I guess he really is intelligent.

"You're still working at Chihaya's café?" He asked me as we walked towards Castanet Café.

"Yeah, still the same as three years ago, though."

He laughed lightly, throwing his head back. "Can't wait to see the guy."

We arrived at our destination in a matter of minutes, entering the building with the robotic voice of the cashier greeting us.

"This place hasn't change at all." Yuuki stated as he took a seat with me.

"What'll you have, Hiromi?" asked Chihaya, walking out of the kitchen, completely oblivious of the existence of my companion.

"I guess you could say the owner hasn't, too." Yuuki jerked a thumb at the chef.

Chihaya recognized the voice, he jolted his head to Yuuki, looking at him in complete surprise. "Yuuki! What the hell are you doing here?"

"Surprised?" Yuuki said with a smirk.

"Hell yeah I am! You came out of nowhere!" Chihaya laughed lightly, "Man, it's been too long. Where the hell have you been?"

The owner of the café took a seat to chat with an old friend. He was too happy to see Yuuki.

"I was in Osaka for almost three years before my father was called back here again. So I had to transfer to yet another school." Yuuki explained.

"Where are you transferring to?" I asked, a bit curious.

"North High."

"What? That's my school!"

"Really?" He asked me with disbelief. "What a coincidence!"

"Ha, two friends reunited. I guess you boys will be kicking ass at school again." Chihaya stated.

"Nah, not this time. I don't have any problems with bullies right now." I stated.

"I remembered you two coming to my place all beat up, though Yuuki was the one who often got injured." Chihaya reminisced his past.

"Yeah, I remember that." Yuuki took a sip of his coffee. "I'm able to hold my own now, though. Two years of martial arts practice." He stated, holding up two fingers.

"Good, I won't need to back you up, then." I said to him.

"Don't worry though, I won't start a fight if there's no bastards to be beaten up."

That's another thing I liked about Yuuki. He's a man of justice, only bring up violence to a person who deserved it. Even though he's a bit of a delinquent, he's actually a caring person. I remembered one day a male student cheated on his girlfriend. Knowing this, Yuuki waited at the streets near the cheater's home and confronted the guy. Yuuki demanded the cheater to apologize to his girlfriend, which he refused to do. Of course, if a scare is not enough, a fist to the face is next. Yuuki left a mark on the cheater's face, making him unable to attend school the next day. The day after, the cheater apologized formally to his girlfriend, and stated that he won't cheat anymore. I guess Yuuki's fists could fix someone's head quite easily.

"No, the school's pretty much peaceful. You won't need to fight anymore, Yuuki." I assured him. One thing to note, he actually detest violence, even though he thought that it was the most effective way to teach a persistent person a lesson.

"Is that so? Well, I guess I can finally live a peaceful life, then!" He cheered happily.

I'm sure you can. The school's a safe haven for everyone that wanted to live a carefree life. He might have a hard time in junior high, but he'll be alright from now on.

I'm sure of it.


	29. The Enrollment of Tanaka Yuuki

**Update: Fixed a major mistake. Sorry.**

* * *

><p>"Everyone, we have a new student today. Please come in."<p>

Yuuki walked inside the class, looking as fresh as ever. He gained most of the girls' attentions, due to his tall figure and friendly expression.

"Hello, everyone. My name is Tanaka Yuuki, it's nice to meet you all." He introduced himself in front of class. I noted he's the same as ever, the untidy kind of man, similar to me. His blazer was unbuttoned and his shirt untucked.

"Well, Tanaka-kun, your seat will be adjacent to Yamamoto-kun. Please take a seat." Okabe gestured the youth to the empty seat beside me.

"Not a fancy first impresion, huh?" He said to me quietly, taking a seat on his new chair.

"First impression's not important." I stated plainly.

Class went by quietly, with the girls taking quick glances to the new student. Of course, the guy just kept that smile on his face intact.

First break time, the class gathered at Yuuki's seat.

"So, I heard you're from Osaka. How is it there?" One of the girls asked.

"Not much different, though I'm there for only two years, I'm originally from here, actually."

"Really? Do you know someone in this school, then?"

No, please don't.

Yuuki smirked, pointing at me. "That guy."

Goddamnit.

The heads turned to me, looking with disbelief. Of course, Yui also had that expression. Who would have thought the anti social man from class 1-5 had a friend from junior high.

"Is that so? How did you two know each other?"

What's with these girls wanting to know about someone's life, it's none of their goddamn businesses!

I kept quiet, letting the brown haired man explain. "We were friends in junior high. That is all." He stated.

"Really..." the girls were quite unconvinced.

"Hey, Hiromi-kun…" Yui poked my arm with a mechanical pencil.

"What?"

"Are you really friends with Tanaka-kun?"

"Yeah…" I answered shortly, not quite in the mood.

I gazed at my old friend to see his genuine happy face. He was meeting the guys from class, and even got 'interviewed' by Suzumiya, who, apparently, disliked the man due to his ordinary natures. I guess she was expecting Yuuki to be mysterious like Koizumi.

The bell rang, initiating the students to take their seats. I see the girls were attracted by Yuuki, due to his personality. He wasn't an anime pretty boy like Koizumi or Tanigawa, but it's his friendliness that stood out, his acceptance of any kinds of person. As the lesson started, I noticed Yuuki was the same as ever. He was not paying attention for one, and scribbled some random stuff on his notebook. I'm quite envious of the guy, he's a lazy bastard with a gifted brain.

"So, what club did you join?"

It was lunch break, and the class were rather quiet with the students preferred the cafeteria than cooking their own meals.

"The light music club." I replied to my old friend. We were munching lunch together with Yui.

"I guess that's to be expected. You loved music after all…"

"Hiromi-kun is a great guitarist!" Yui suddenly exclaimed whilst taking a piece of my bento.

"I'm not surprised, he's been playing since we first met." Yuuki stated. "And it's because of you, Hiromi, I started grabbing the guitar."

"You play the guitar now?"

"Yeah, I guess you could say I'm a rather good player." He said with confidence, pointing his nose high up in the air.

"Overconfidence isn't a good thing, Yuuki." I muttered.

"It's not overconfidence, it's optimism!"

"Same difference."

Apparently, Yuuki was interested in joining the club. After school, I walked towards the music room together with Yui and Yuuki.

As we arrived, the club saw the unfamiliar face and was rather surprised. I noted that Yamanaka-sensei was also here.

"Everyone, Tanaka Yuuki. Yuuki, everyone." I introduced my old friend to the club, throwing my bag to the bench, "Go and introduce yourself, I'm not in the mood for the formality crap."

"Well, like Hiromi had stated, my name is Tanaka Yuuki, pleased to meet you all." The brown haired man bowed a little, knowing there's a teacher in the room.

"My, my, so this is the transfer student." Yamanaka-sensei stood up, observing the man. "I'm sure I haven't introduced myself, my name is Yamanaka Sawako, and I am the advisor of this wonderful club." She said, offering Yuuki a hand with a plastic smile on her face.

"You might wanna note the mask she's wearing." I warned my friend, who seemed to notice the teacher's plastic smile.

"Yeah, I noticed. It's all part of being a teacher, right sensei?" Yuuki shook Yamanaka-sensei's hand with a smile of his own.

"Tch, boys these days have eagle eyes…" The teacher stated, irritation clearly on her face.

"Tanigawa Kaito, nice to meet you, Tanaka-san." The gentleman stood up, shaking hands with the transfer student. "And this is Akiyama Mio, my girlfriend." Tanigawa gestured his lover to introduce herself.

"N-nice to meet you, Tanaka-kun." She stuttered due to her embarrassment of being called Tanigawa's girlfriend.

Yuuki laughed lightly, "Lovely, just lovely. I can't help but feel happy for you two, you guys looked pretty good together!"

Huh, even Yuuki thought so, even though it's his first time meeting the duo. I guess these two really did look good together.

"Kotobuki Tsumugi, pleased to meet you, Tanaka-kun." Kotobuki stood up, shaking hands with my old friend with her usual gentle smile still seen.

"And I'm the president, Tainaka Ritsu! Nice to meet you, Tanaka!" the tomboy exclaimed, looking pretty excited.

"Uh, if you guys don't mind me asking… what's with the tea and sweets? Isn't this supposed to be the light music club?" Yuuki looked confused for once.

The room went to a silence, nobody could answer that question. I think I should come up with one. "Actually, there's no logical explanation to that. Anything goes, really."

"Is that so…" he muttered, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, you joining or not?"

Yuuki smiled widely, looking pretty interested. I could easily guess what his answer will be.

"Hell yeah!"


	30. Nakano Azusa, The Newcomer

"We're juniors now, huh…"

The sound of Yuuki's guitar echoed in the silent clubroom. It's only the two of us in this haven of music, with no one but our instruments keeping us company.

"Yeah,"

We had taken the final tests just the other day, with the results as satisfying as I'd expected. I ranked number one in class, with Suzumiya, Manabe, and Yuuki following.

"Seriously though, it felt like yesterday I just moved to Osaka. Now I'm here, gaining the title of a junior. I guess what they say is true, time flies when you're having fun."

The next day, class arrangements were announced. I gazed at the board to spot my name, and found it almost immediately. Since I'm the tallest one in the club, I was asked to see the arrangements and report back to the club.

"We're all in the same class, with the exception of Akiyama." I stated, turning my head to the tall woman. "You're with Manabe."

"Is that so…" Akiyama hung her head, disappointed for the reason that she's not in the same class as her boyfriend as well as the club.

"It's just class assignments, big deal. You guys could meet at break time or after school." Yuuki cheered the couple.

"It is unfortunate. But like Tanaka-san had stated, we could meet at other times." The gentleman stated, thinking pretty positively.

"You're right. We won't be apart just because the class assignments, we won't be defeated!" Akiyama stated, grabbing her boyfriend's hand.

"That's just goddamn corny." I sighed along with the rest of the girls.

The very next day, at the clubroom, Yamanaka-sensei had an idea to promote the light music club by wearing costumes of various animals. Which, I humbly declined to do.

"Like hell I will."

Of course, the teacher had nothing against me. And with that, the girls, who strangely agreed to do so, were out in the fields with their costumes on. I was watching them by the window side long with the boys in the club.

"How the hell could she come up with such a preposterous idea?" Yuuki asked me and Tanigawa with disbelief.

"Hell if I know, maybe her brain's got a few screws loose." I answered.

The students that encountered the girls of the club were rather scared or confused. I just hope there aren't any PETA members nearby, they don't wanna be soaked with red paint.

"I guess it's not only us that are insane." I stated, pointing someone in particular.

The boys turned their heads to Suzumiya Haruhi, dressed beautifully in a cheongsam along with Asahina-senpai with her French maid outfit.

"Well, at least they're still acceptable. They're trying to attract the perverts to joining their club, but us? We're trying to scare the hell out of those freshmen."

I saw Yui's sister walking besides a petite girl with twin ponytails. Yui noticed her sister and ran up to her, initiating the little sister along with her friend to run like hell. Oh, great. Even her sister didn't notice it was Yui in that suit.

"Good grief." I sighed, putting up a facepalm.

We left the room, knowing there's no point in watching them. Tanigawa stated he'll wait for his girlfriend to return, and fixed a cup of coffee.

As Yuuki and I walked for around for a while, we spotted Yui's little sister having trouble carrying her injured friend.

"What happened?" We ran up to them, helping the twin ponytailed freshman to a nearby seat.

"We were running from a… I know it sounds crazy, but a person in an animal suit chased us. Azusa-chan tripped on the way and injured her knee." Yui's sister explained to us.

"How's the wound, Yuuki?" I turned my head to my old friend.

"Not a serious problem, but I need to disinfect it." Yuuki stated, inspecting the injury. "Sorry, I'm gonna need to carry you." He then carried the freshman bridal style, despite her protests.

"H-hold it senpai, I can walk on my own!"

"Shut up, kid. You want us to watch you dragging your legs like a zombie?" I said to the protesting freshman, walking behind Yuuki. What's with girls declining help from men these days? Seriously, at least be thankful.

Yuuki laughed lightly, I could imagine him with his cheerful face right about now. "Now, now, Hiromi. You don't wanna leave a bad first impression here."

"I care not." I plainly stated. Yui's sister giggled beside me.

The girls in the school stared at the duo with a bit of worry and jealousy. Huh, I never thought this guy could get this famous.

We reached the nurse's office in a few minutes. Yuuki sat the girl on the bed gently, while I searched for the disinfectant and a ball of cotton. I found it eventually, and tossed it to my old friend.

"Now this is gonna sting a bit. No, a lot actually." Yuuki soaked the cotton with the disinfectant, getting ready to press it against the wound. "Ready?"

"When you are." The freshman closed her eyes tightly and balled her fists, getting ready for impact.

The cotton touched the wound, earning an audible grunt from the petite girl.

After a short time of painful disinfecting, Yuuki applied the bandage to her knee.

"Done. You should be alright now." He stated, patting on the wound lightly.

"Thank you, senpai." She said with a visible blush on her face.

I turned my head to Yui's sister. "Your friend?" I asked her.

She nodded her head with a smile similar to Yui's. "Yes, Yamamoto-senpai, Tanaka-senpai, meet Nakano Azusa-chan."

"It's an honor meeting you both, my name is Nakano Azusa!" She said rather loudly due to her anxiousness, bowing a perfect 90° to us.

"Whoa, whoa, what's with the formal introduction? Lighten up a bit, we're not prime ministers." Yuuki said jokingly. "I'm Tanaka Yuuki. That grumpy man right there is my friend, Yamamoto Hiromi." He pointed to me.

"You call me grumpy man again, I'll throw you off the roof." I said to my companion.

"See? He lives up to his name!"

Yui's sister, along with her friend, laughed lightly.

"Whatever." I muttered. "And for your information, little sister, that person chasing you is your sister." I said to Yui's sister.

She looked at me with surprise. "What? What is she doing?"

"That lunatic Yamanaka decided to promote the light music club that way." I answered.

"Really?" She asked with confusion clearly on her face.

"Yeah, don't ask. I don't even want to know what's on her mind."

"Anyway," Yuuki clapped his hands together, gaining our attention. "The girls from the light music club will be performing in a few minutes. You guys wanna come?"

"Sure, I want to see onee-chan!" Little sister piped up.

"I'll take it you're interested too, Nakano?" Yuuki turned his head to the freshman.

"Yes, I'll go and see them."

"Great, let's get going then."

Yuuki offered the wounded girl a piggyback ride, which she bluntly refused.

"Look, you're just going to slow us down with that wound of yours. Think again before declining a helping hand." I said to her.

Nakano hung her head, then accepted the offer. Of course, with an uncomfortable look, she buried her head to Yuuki's shoulder. The glares from the girls as we walked the hallway were quite fierce, if looks could kill, Nakano would be six feet under right about now.

"Hey, Yamamoto-senpai." Yui's sister whispered to me whilst tugging my shirt.

"What?"

"Tanaka-senpai seems to be pretty fond of Azusa-chan. Do you know why?"

"I recall that he wanted a little sister before. Maybe this is what he meant by that." I explained to her.

"I see…"

As we went inside the gym, we saw the seats were all taken, with a few of the students standing up in the back near the door.

"Whoop, a full house." Yuuki stated.

"Ah, you're here. And who might this be?"

We turned our heads to the source of the voice, there stood Tanigawa with his smiling face in one piece. He was looking towards the passenger of the piggyback ride.

"Our kohai, Nakano Azusa. She got her knee scraped due to the animal attack just a while ago." I stated to the gentleman.

"Welcome to North High, Nakano-san. My name is Tanigawa Kaito, also a member of the light music club like these two." He introduced himself formally. "Are you well? That wound looked pretty bad."

"She's fine, Tanigawa. A scratched knee wouldn't kill anyone." Yuuki stated.

"If you say so."

The curtains were lifted, revealing the girls from the light music club in their sailor uniforms. Thank the Lord Yamanaka-sensei didn't do anything to them.

The club started with a mock concert, talking about unimportant stuffs.

"Actually, we're only half of the club. The others are there, in the back!"

All heads turned to us, which annoyed the hell out of me. I hate being the center of attention.

"That's not necessary, Hirasawa." Yuuki muttered.

"Well, let's get started. My Love is a Stapler!" Yui announced the title of the song.

That name was pretty original. Whoever thought of it must have one hell of a creative brain. Oh wait, her boyfriend's here, thank goodness I didn't say that out loud.

The song started with the drums as the lead-off hitter. I observed Yui with sharp eyes. She seems to be playing well, but what I'm worried about was…

As expected, she forgot the lyrics. Akiyama was quick enough to support her, and started to sing the first part. It seems not a single person noticed the absurd movement.

"Ha ha, as expected from Hirasawa." Yuuki said.

"At least nobody noticed." I stated.

The performance went quite well, with Akiyama and Yui ended up having a duet. The crowd went to a cheer as the song ended. They were quite pleased with it.

"Put me down, Tanaka-senpai. I can walk now." Nakano said to her savior.

Yuuki crouched down gently, letting the kohai stand up on her own.

"Well, we need to get going. If you're interested, you know what to do." Yuuki told the freshmen before we parted ways.

"See you later, everyone!" Yui's sister waved to us.

"The performance went rather smoothly, don't you think?" Tanigawa asked us as we walked towards the clubroom.

"Yeah, I'm sure someone would be interested in joining." Yuuki replied.

As we walked inside the clubroom, we were greeted by yet another obscure sight.

"Yamanaka's up to something again…" I muttered.

The sight I'm talking about was all the girls in the club, with their radiating beauty, dressed in a French maid outfit. If a pervert were to walk in here, they would have a nosebleed in an instant. I noted Tanigawa looked pretty astonished gazing at his girlfriend in a rather eye pleasing outfit.

"This is getting way out of hand." Yuuki stated.

"Hey, you guys! What do you think of the performance?" Yui ran up to me after she said those words, which caused her to trip in the way due to the long skirt. My reflexes acted up before the other boys, and managed to catch her in time before she landed.

"Running around in that outfit? Really? What the hell were you thinking?" I scolded the airhead.

She looked at me, laughing that nervous laugh with a childish smile on her face.

"Well boys? What do you think of my handmade outfits?" Yamanaka-sensei appeared out of nowhere, looking pretty proud.

"I could care less." I said to her.

"Ditto." Yuuki agreed.

"I must say, it looks good on you, Mio-san."

We all turned our heads to the astonished gentleman, who was blushing pretty visibly.

"Th-thank you…" His girlfriend muttered.

"Still, I can't think of any reason of doing this." I stated.

"We might damage our brains if we were to think if it." Yuuki replied. "Let's just ignore it."

"Agreed."

The next day, there was not a single soul that was interested in joining the club. We rested our tired minds with tea for the girls, and coffee for the guys.

"Looks like our performance wasn't satisfying enough." Akiyama muttered.

I have two theories in mind. One, as stated by Akiyama, the performance didn't quite please the crowd. But the theory contradicted the audience's reactions just yesterday. They gave a rather loud cheer after the performance, and by the looks on their faces, they seemed rather delightful.

Theory number two, they were too amazed by the performance, and felt rather unacceptable if they were to join the club. If a man with mediocre guitar skills saw the performance, he would feel a bit of hesitation in joining, for the reason of his low levelness.

I'll take the latter, theory number one had too much of a contradiction.

The club's attention went to the door as the sound of someone knocking was heard.

"Come in!" Yui exclaimed.

The door opened slowly, revealing the petite figure of a kohai with the twin ponytails.

"Nakano, how's your knee?" Yuuki was rather happy to see the girl.

"It's fine, senpai. Thank you for asking." She said with a serious tone.

What's with her eyes, the burning fires of determination lit rather fiercely there, like a woman with a sure confidence of reaching her dreams, that expression of enthusiasm, as if she do not have any doubts or regret.

"I want to join this club." Nakano stated bluntly.

The girls stared at her as if she had stated forbidden words.

"Come again?" Yui asked, her same expression intact.

"I want to join this club." The kohai repeated.

Out of the blue, Yui jumped off her seat and ran towards the applicant. Like a scared mouse, Nakano stood there, unable to move a muscle. Yui then leaped and hugged the newcomer in what you call a bear hug.

"Alright!"

And so, this marks the start of the freshman with the name of Nakano Azusa in her new club. Of course, for a start, it's quite unordinary. But that's what the club is.

Unordinary.


	31. The Difference of Nakano Azusa

The spring air can be felt in this rather spacious music room. The rays of sunlight infiltrated the area, amplifying the peaceful atmosphere inside. As I sat down with a cup of coffee in front of me, I couldn't think of anything more enjoyable.

"Why aren't you guys practicing!"

Well, so much for peaceful…

The voice that just boomed belongs to Nakano Azusa, the newest member in our club. She was rather flabbergasted seeing us relaxing like a NEET who has nothing to do.

"Give it a break, kid. It's spring, I'm feeling drowsy as hell." I said to the freshman.

"But-"

"Just take it easy, Nakano. Here, have some tea." Yuuki offered the girl a cup of warm tea, just the perfect drink for this weather.

"Fine." She then sat down besides her savior just the other day.

What's with her and Yuuki? Somehow I think she always do what Yuuki told her to do.

Nakano took a sip of her tea, which resulted in her relaxing a bit.

"How is it?" Kotobuki asked, rather curious.

"It's good." The twin ponytailed girl replied with a relaxed smile.

Before she knew it, Nakano was one of us, relaxing with a cup of tea and a slice of cake in front of her.

As the room went silent, a loud noise snapped us out of our dreams. We turned our heads to the sound, finding Yamanaka-sensei in high spirits, standing in front of the door. I noted she was hiding something behind her back.

"Hello, girls and boys! It's a fine day today, don't you think?"

I sighed through my nose, feeling rather disturbed by her loud shouting. "Shut up, sensei, I don't need to hear your screeching voice right now." The teacher glared at me with her fierce death metal look. "And what're you hiding? A bomb?"

"Well," She cleared her throat, stepping slowly towards our general direction. "Since there's a new member here, I figured I'd give her a present." Sensei turned her head to the freshman with her trademark plastic smile.

Nakano stared at her with suspicion. Of course, nobody was stupid enough to expect a decent present from this woman.

"Ta-daah!"

With a swift motion, Yamanaka-sensei revealed the gift, which turns out to be a famous item for the perverts throughout Japan. A pair of cat ears.

"I knew it." Yuuki muttered, performing the first facepalm for the day.

"What is this, I don't want it!" Nakano bluntly refused, pushing the forcing hands of the teacher away.

"Aww come on, it'll look good on you!"

After a few minutes of noisy arguing and chasing around, Nakano got captured and was forced to put on the accessory. Us men sat in the bench, staying silent with our drinks of choice in our hands.

"Is there any club similar to us in any way?" Yuuki wondered.

"No. Maybe the SOS Brigade, but I don't know." I answered.

We turned our heads to see the freshman with the cat ears in place, much to her dismay.

"Now mimic a cat!" With a demanding voice, Yamanaka-sensei ordered the petite girl to do an embarrassing act.

Nakano balled her hands, mimicking a cat paw. She slowly raised both of her arms, opening her mouth a bit. "N-nyan?"

The girls were amused, and Yuuki was grabbing his sides, laughing the hell out of his lungs.

"So cute!" Yui exclaimed, squealing and whatnot. "Your name from now on will be 'Azu-nyan'!"

"What kind of nickname is 'Azu-nyan'?" I asked the author of the weird nickname.

"Alright, alright, stop it." Yuuki stepped closer to Nakano, snickering on the process. He removed the accessory from her head, disappointing the other girls. "Nakano has suffered enough."

"Boo! Tanaka-kun betrayed us!" Yui pouted.

"I'm not siding with anyone here." Yuuki pressed the palm of his hand to his face. "Anyway, let's change the subject. What can you play, Nakano?"

"I can play the guitar." The new member replied nervously, a bit traumatic of the incident a few minutes ago.

"Let's see what you got, then."

Nakano walked to her guitar case, unzipping it. As the leather case drops, it revealed a shiny red and white Fender Mustang. Of course, envy took over me. Having such a nice guitar implies that she's good at playing it, or just a spoiled rich girl owning an expensive guitar while not being able to play it properly.

Though I doubt the latter, the truth should be revealed shortly.

She plugged the jack to the amplifier with confidence, then played a guitar solo of some sort. The rocking tune filled the room, which amazed the members. Goddamn, that's top quality sound there, the Fender Mustang is quite the monster.

As the melody ended, the girls were silent, mouth agape. Yuuki smiled approvingly, knowing a skilled member had joined the club.

"Yep, no money wasted in that Fender." he whispered to me.

"Yeah, she's pretty good." I answered.

Nakano stared at us, confused. It was then she decided to open her mouth. "Am I not good enough?"

"I doubt that." I said to her. "I'm pretty sure you're better than any other guitarists here."

Nakano later revealed that her parents were members of a jazz band. Now I understand, a jazz player is someone who's pretty skilled in a matter of technique. In my opinion, jazz and blues have a similarity, where jazz is more to the technique, and blues to the soul.

"So, how long have you been playing?" It's time to know more about the freshman, and my intention is to have a friendly chat with her by the bench.

"I've been holding the guitar since 4th grade, my parents taught me to."

Huh, both parents are musicians. No doubt she's gifted.

"I see… I guess it's in your blood, then."

What I was wondering as I chatted with Nakano was the feeling of being watched. I simply ignored the feeling, thinking it was just my imagination.

As the sun sets, we walked to our respective homes. Yuuki and I walked together, with our homes in the same direction. The warm spring air, and the beautiful cherry blossoms blooming in full force are just what I needed to take a nap.

"Hirasawa's the culprit." Yuuki stated just as we parted ways with the girls. "She took constant glances at you two."

"Really? Why would she do that?"

"I don't know. Though she's acting pretty weird, her usual cheerful self turned into something else… Envy maybe? I'm not sure."

Why would she be jealous? Is there something wrong in wanting to know more of a new member?

"Anyways, I guess I'll see you tomorrow. That jealousy of hers is your job to figure out. Adios." My old friend turned to a lonely street, waving his hand with his broad back visibly disappearing from my angle.

"I'll pass." I murmured, walking my way back home. Somehow I get the feeling Yuuki knew the answer, recalling his remarkable social skills, he could identify a person's problems just by looking at their faces.

The next day, it's only Yuuki and me sitting on the seats of the music room, with the others having some businesses to be taken care of. As my partner turned on the amplifier, the old wooden door of the room creaked.

Standing there, a petite figure of the new member of the light music club, with the rectangular doorframe around her. The expression of a melancholic little girl was seen, as if she was let down, disappointed by something. After a low voiced greeting, she set down her bag on the bench, sitting beside it.

Yuuki signaled me to ask the freshman what had happened. I declined bluntly, knowing it'll be no use if I were to ask her. I gave him the go ahead, knowing he would do a better job than me. My old friend nodded his head, turning his chair to the general direction of the sorrowful freshman.

"What's wrong, Nakano?" He echoed, a sound of genuine concern in his tone.

Nakano was rather taken aback of the worried senpai, to which she responded in a rather low voice, "Nothing… it's just, I thought the light music club would be more serious. I never thought it would be this relaxed."

Yuuki nodded several times, confidence clearly on his face. "Listen here, Nakano," he started, clearing his throat. "You saw how the performance went just the other day, it was perfect." He smiled widely, knowing that he could help the kohai. "That, is an indicator. An indicator of how good the club is even without practice. I remembered the day before the event, the practice was pretty minimal. Hell, I even doubted the performance would go well, but turns out, it's smoother than polished crystal."

"Is that so…" Nakano was a bit convinced. She hung her head and went deep in thought.

"This is why I don't really like jazz players in general." I stated, breaking the silence. "They're mostly too strict, playing music by the book. Try and lighten up a bit, music isn't only about skills, it's also a conductor for your feelings." I stretched myself, feeling a bit sleepy. "And from what I gathered, this club is playing their music by the soul, with their hearts as the focal point. If you try to shove your strict training stuff, you'll just tire them."

The kohai kept silent, I couldn't see her expression clearly due to her head hung down. Suddenly, she turned her head to us, and revealed a smile that was rather pleasing to the eyes.

"You're right! If I kept pestering them, it'll just turn me to a selfish person." She stood up with an ambitious look on her face, looking towards the ceiling. "If that's the way they play their music, then I'll try and follow their way!"

Now she gets what I'm saying. Good, saves me the trouble.

"You're used to the strict training you went through, that's because your parents are musicians. But these people, they're just ordinary humans with a desire of playing music. That's the difference between you and the rest of the club." I explained to her.

Just as I finished my speech, the door opened, revealing the rest of the club. Yui came in first, followed by Kotobuki and Tainaka, along with the unbreakable couple behind them.

"What happened, Azu-nyan? You seem happy." Yui asked curiously, observing the face of the freshman.

Nakano smiled at Yui and the rest of the club. It was the first time I saw her smiled this happily, and I'm pretty sure to remember it.

"Nothing at all." Nakano stated with her cheerful voice.

The club stared at her in confusion, before turning their heads to us.

As a response, I kept quiet while Yuuki shrugged, smiling his usual smile.

"Nothing at all."


	32. The Shadow's Rage

**Author's note: Time to bring out the dark side of the story.**

**WARNING: This chapter contains blood and gore, viewer discretion is advised.**

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><p>It's been way too long since I've visited this room, a room that's secret to me until I started junior high. The thick air inside can be felt, as if the room was haunted. Every time I went here, it seems like I was being watched, observed. Every action that I take, every single muscle I moved, it feels like someone, out there, is watching me, like a wolf stalking its prey, hidden beneath the shadows of the dark room. The grey walls, the dirty floor, were a depressing sight, with the spider webs around the corner starting to gather. A picture of an isolated place, far from any human being, far from society. Gunpowder, a smell that my nose hasn't felt in a long time, I remembered when I found out about this secret room, I was in fear. What if there's something living here? What if, suddenly, someone jumped at me and killed me? The night my father died, I went to his room alone, discovering the lair of his work. It was claustrophobic, not a single sound can be heard from anywhere, like an alternate dimension separated from this universe.<p>

As I walked further inside, I saw various weaponries, nailed neatly on the wall. Standing strong under them, a metal suitcase, still clean and shiny, reflecting the little light that came from the bulb.

I strode my legs towards the case, crouching down and inspecting it. A few scratches were visible if one were to look closely. A clinking sound can be heard as I released the lock. Inside lie the favorite gears of my father. A black steel mask with the eyes resembling a bat, a sneaking suit, a combat knife, and a pair of gloves. From all these equipments, there was one item that shone above all…

The Five-Seven.

Semi-automatic, built-in suppressor, made with extensive use of polymer materials to reduce light reflection, high capacity of 20 rounds per magazine. The gun of choice of any soldiers lurking around the shadow, a trusty partner for a tactical espionage action.

The sudden sound from my pocket snapped me out of my thoughts. The ringtone of my cell phone echoed throughout the room, filling it with a rather creepy atmosphere. It was Akiyama, what she wanted in this dark of a night, I am about to find out.

"Akiyama, what's wrong?"

How innocent I am, asking questions such as that. I may not notice, but my consciousness will be hanging on to a thin fabric of my mind seconds later.

"It's… it's terrible-," The other line said, she was crying, panicking, scared. I am now worried, I have never heard someone as scared as this. "Mugi…"

"Calm down, Akiyama! Tell me, what's wrong?" Panic ran through me, I was unable to think clearly, this could not mean any good news.

"Mugi's been…" Akiyama started crying a lot louder, her voice breaking.

"Mugi's been kidnapped!"

That was the time I felt rage like never before. Boiled blood ran through my veins, it was as if the devil took over my body. Clenching my fists, I braced myself to do an act that defies the ten commandments of God.

"Give me the details, quick."

I managed to digest the info rather smoothly. Kotobuki was walking home from school, when suddenly she was drugged and taken away. The kidnapper demanded ransom, saying they wanted money to be sent to a certain address. I jolted the address, knowing that would be my target for the night. It was decided, the kidnappers' fates were sealed.

I equipped myself with dad's gear, starting with the sneaking suit. It was unexpectedly comfortable, not itchy or anything. With a flexibility of a rubber, the suit was suitable for maneuvering through difficult terrains. I put on the gloves and the mask next, remembering the mask is actually an all-in-one device. Dad manufactured the mask to have features such as nightvision, binoculars, and infrared view.

All geared and ready, I holstered the Five-Seven, along with the three clips included.

As I looked towards the table, I saw a few adrenaline shots. It could be useful, so I grabbed it.

I started the engine of dad's favorite car, the 1967 black Chevy Impala. It was pretty clear that I need to get there fast, so the logical vehicle of choice was this beast.

I sped through the lonely streets with the engine roaring angrily. The address stated that it was an abandoned warehouse located far from civilization. My mission is to extract the subject, known as Kotobuki Tsumugi, to safety, preferably her home. This particular night, the moon was full, as if it was cheering me up for the mission.

The phone vibrated, snapping me out of my rage filled thoughts. I pressed the button on the right side of the mask to answer the call.

"I know what you're thinking, Hiromi, but you're gonna get yourself killed!"

That was none other than the voice of my caring old friend.

"You're not going to stop me, Yuuki. I'm gonna raise hell in that place, and no one can stop me."

Yuuki went silent on the other side of the line, before he let out a long sigh. "You're always like this, Hiromi. Stubborn bastard… Alright, do whatever you want. But I want you to know this, if you fail your mission, don't expect me to feel sorry for you." He bluntly stated. "Kotobuki's safety is in your hands now, if you were to fail, we don't know the consequences."

"Noted." I said before I hung up.

I'm not going to fail. I WILL punish they who decided to take away my friend, I WILL waste those bastards. I'm not going to fail, not a chance. Let the devil be my conductor for this night, let him take over my senses, let him have no mercy to those people. Make them pay for taking away a beloved friend of the club!

I arrived at my destination in a half hour ride. I parked far away from the building, avoiding detection. It was a grassy field in a middle of nowhere, with the warehouse standing strong as the only building in the area.

_The shadow is a wonderful thing. If you place yourself in a dark area, your eyes will adapt to the minimal lighting. With little time, you can see everything, the dark along with the light. But if you're in a bright area, you could only see the well lighted areas, and not the dark ones._

My father's voice echoed in my head, reminding me of what to do. I remembered the day my father taught me his techniques. I was only 5 then. I will not let your teachings be useless, father. I will put it to good use.

I lay beneath the tall grasses with the shadow as my cover. Turning on the mask, I switched it to binoculars mode.

I spotted two watchmen by the rooftop, standing still like a statue.

"AK-47s… these guys are well equipped."

A direct conflict would be useless, since all I have is this handgun. I'll do it the father's way.

Slowly, but surely, I crawled towards the building. It's no use running around like a maniac, it'll just get me shot in an instant. Even though my mind was filled with wrath, I cannot be recklessly burn the place down to the ground, I need to get a hold of myself and let the skills inherited by my father take over.

As I reached the side of the building, I spotted a pipe leading upwards. It'll be wise to take out the two watchmen before infiltrating the structure. Quietly, I climbed the pipe with grace.

I need to make sure if the two of them aren't looking. Taking a peek, I saw the watchmen were facing the front of the building, gazing at the moonlight, standing still. It's only a matter of time before the turned their backs, I need to be swift.

I pulled myself up the rooftop, getting ready to take out the two of them simultaneously.

_Relax your shoulders, hold your breath, let your instincts take over._

I aimed at the farther watchman, sneaking towards the nearest. As I was behind him, I took out my knife and held the watchmen hostage. Before he could utter a word, I shot a round to the other's forehead, finishing with a slit of the hostage's throat.

Warm blood can be felt in my hands. I don't care, they deserved it. I will not hesitate in killing anybody that dared harming someone I hold dear.

_The first time I killed someone, I felt this feeling of guilt. But as time goes by, it's just another day at the office._

I went back to the ground, looking for an alternate entrance than the front door. I found a small hole by the wall leading inside. It seems the building was old enough to break apart. I pressed myself in after checking the insides.

There was a stack of huge boxes inside, with the wood starting to rot. The lights were bright, it'll be a problem to stay here. Knowing I needed to know the locations of the kidnappers, I decided to climb to a higher ground.

I scaled the stack of boxes with caution. As I was on top, I activated the infrared to locate the criminals.

I spotted the subject tied up on a chair, unconscious. It's not safe just to just take her away, I need to waste the others first. Sorry, Kotobuki, please be patient.

I counted a total of 6 people. 2 of them guarding Kotobuki, the others patrolling the area, completely oblivious of the visitor above them.

_Make good use of your environments, keep your eyes peeled for interesting objects._

I spotted a good thing that I just needed, the power controls for the building.

Slowly, I snuck towards the place, keeping an eye for the lurking patrols.

As I stood in front of it, I turned the lever, turning the place to a complete pitch black nightmare. To make things better, I broke the lever and threw it away, disabling any way to recover electricity.

The surprised gasps can be heard, now they are more alert of their surroundings. It doesn't matter for me, I have the shadow on my side.

I hid myself behind a medium sized crate, keeping in mind that someone will come this way to check the power.

I heard slow footsteps approaching. Two scared patrols strode their legs, a tactical flashlight attached to their AKs. I need something to attract the other guys, something to make them feel fear.

It was pitch black if the nightvision is off, so I'll be fine to maneuver around as long as I kept quiet, and avoid the flashlights.

The two patrols walked back to back. I waited for the right moment to strike, which should be any minute now…

My patience bore a fruit. One of the patrols went ahead to check the power, while the other waited a few meters behind him. I slowly crept out of my hiding spot, handgun in right hand, knife in left. Locking my sight at the oblivious patrol, I stabbed his neck from behind with a swift motion, earning a bit of a grunt before he was silenced. The other patrol turned his back quickly, firing his gun by reflex. Just before a bullet hit me, I used the lifeless body I held as a shield. With a quick aim, I fired a suppressed shot to the panicked man, ending his life with a painless, quick death.

_Make them fear you, make you the thing they fear._

That several gunshots should be enough to warn the others of the danger they have to face. It should be 4 people left in the building. In a situation like this, I assumed the kidnappers would focus their defenses on the hostage. Just to make sure, I jumped towards higher ground once again.

My assumption was right, the four of them guarded Kotobuki with a nervous look on each of their faces. It's time to finish the job.

Carefully, I aimed at the farthest man. After a round was shot, the man went down instantly. Three guns blazing towards my general direction, mostly hitting the wooden crate that was my cover. Now is the time to retreat to another spot.

I moved myself to another crate quickly. As the kidnappers still busy blasting my previous cover, I took the chance to take out another two of them. Two bullets pierced two brains in a split second, leaving a lone ranger by his own, with his mind consumed completely with fear. Panicking, we threw his gun to the ground, running away whilst screaming uncontrollably. I followed him with confidence, knowing he had no weapons whatsoever. Just as I catch up to him, I leaped towards the fleeing man, tackling him down.

"P-please don't kill me! I have a wife!" He begged me, sounding genuinely scared.

"I'm sure your wife would be thankful if I do this…"

I stabbed him in the leg, deep enough to feel his bones. He let out a scream of agony, his eyes were wide open, red with tears pouring down rapidly.

"Why did you do this? Why did you kidnap her?" I interrogated the man with the most vicious voice I could come up with.

"I'm not a part of this, please, spare me!"

Pulling out the knife from his leg, I thrust it to his shoulder with great force.

"AAAGH! I'm just helping a friend, It's not my plan! Please, trust me!"

All I could hear now was the pained cry coming from the bleeding man. He was in pain, if he didn't get any help, he could die of shock and hemorrhage.

_No mercy._

"I believe you." I drew out my gun, aiming at his forehead. "But that doesn't mean I'll spare you."

Without another delay, I pulled the trigger.

I let out a long tired sigh. My mission's not over yet. I need to confirm Kotobuki's safety.

I ran back towards Kotobuki, passing several dead bodies along the way. As I arrived, I saw her still unconscious. Damn, what kind of drug did they use?

"Kotobuki! Get up! Kotobuki!" I shook her rather violently.

"Uuuugh…"

Relief went throughout my body. It felt really good knowing she's safe. Now to untie her and escort her to safety. I cut the ropes tying her to the chair, noting that it was a pretty thick rope.

"Watch out!"

I turned my back reflexively, pointing my gun towards a figure shrouded in darkness. Just before I pulled the trigger, I heard two loud noises and a sharp pain in my stomach. Before falling on my knees, I managed to shoot the man to his death.

"ARGH! Damn it!" I inspected my wound, two holes on my stomach, bleeding pretty badly.

"Are you okay?" Kotobuki's voice echoed throughout the building. It seems she hasn't notice the true identity behind this mask.

"I'm fine, let's just get you to safety." I offered the blonde a hand, breathing pretty heavily due to the pain. "Can you walk?"

She nodded her head, looking in a pretty bad shape.

"Take my hand, I'll guide you out of here."

I could see my surroundings due to the nightvision. But for Kotobuki, it's just pitch black with the moonlight as her only guide.

Damn, getting shot isn't a pleasant feeling at all. I managed to stop the bleeding temporarily by putting a pressure with a piece of cloth ripped from a dead body's clothes.

"Are you sure you're okay? We should get you to a-"

"I said I'm fine." I lied. No, I don't need any treatment. I'll get it after knowing Kotobuki is safe, her priority is higher than mine.

We walked slowly to my car. After knowing the nightvision is useless, I deactivated it. I started the car engine and sped away to civilization.

"Are you… Yamamoto-kun?"

It seems the car gave me away. I'm sure she must've seen it sometime when visiting my house.

"Yeah…" I realized what I had done. This act is a sure way for the others to discover my true identity. No, I won't regret this. I don't care if they knew, at least when I get Kotobuki to safety, I don't care if I'm alone again, I don't care if they left me. Oh crap, the pain is back again. Looks like I've lost too much blood, I'm getting dizzy, and my vision is getting blurry. Damn it hurts!

I took out an adrenaline shot from the small pack and stabbed it to my neck. The pain went away in an instant, it was like I just got refreshed by a cold water to the face.

"Please, Yamamoto-kun! We need to get you to a hospital!" Kotobuki begged me with worry, looking at the rather severe wound on my stomach.

"No! Not until I get you home."

"But-"

"Just shut up, Kotobuki. I won't change my mind."

She cried, really in a loss at what to do. Feeling futile, she hung her head and prayed whilst sniffing.

We reached the Kotobuki residence after a half hour ride. I felt really dizzy, and cold. It seems the shot has worn out. Kotobuki unlocked the door, then bolted towards her house, shouting for help.

I can no longer process what's happening around me. It was all blurry, and getting a bit dark. It's cold. So cold…

I've completed my mission… Kotobuki's safe…

I don't mind if I were to die here… Knowing that Kotobuki's safe… I don't think I would have any other use to this world… Yui could practice her guitar with Nakano or Yuuki… Tanigawa and Akiyama, they're as happy as a bird, they don't need my assistance… I don't have anything to worry anymore… don't have to worry about my true identity…

I guess this is what you call… a heroic death… damn, it feels like crap…

Cold… so cold…

Yui… forgive me…

…


	33. Hospitality

**Update: 08-10-2011 2:25am WIB. Fixed a few minor mistakes.**

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><p>"Uuungh…"<p>

I opened my eyes slowly, getting blinded by the shining light above me. Where am I…? Wait, I'm starting to recall the incident that happed a while ago. I succeeded in rescuing Kotobuki and escorted her to her home. After that, I blacked out.

I felt weak, out of energy. Knowing that I'm not dead, I must be at the hospital. It's quiet. Dead quiet. I guess my assumption was right… they left me, after knowing my true identity.

I scoffed, feeling rather defeated. "Back to square zero…"

Getting up slowly, I sat on the bed. My stomach was wrapped neatly with a bandage, yet it still hurts. To my right was a view of a hospital room, too large for an ordinary hospital. There was no single living being sighted, it was just an air conditioned room with the furniture sparkling clean.

I hung my head, noticing my right arm was injected with a needle with a tube leading to an IV bag.

Blood. Whose is it?

Ah hell, it could be anyone.

I can't help but notice the overwhelming feeling of loneliness in me. The light music club is the best thing that happened to me since God knows when. Now I know that I won't be meeting them again, no more of the sweet scent of tea welcoming me as I went to the room, no more of Tainaka's stupidity, no more of Akiyama's cheesy songs, no more of Tanigawa's polite character, no more of Kotobuki greeting me sweetly, no more of Nakano's constant protests.

No more of Yui's sweet smile.

It was unpleasant, thinking about it. The pain was devastating, I've never been attacked in the mental side so intensely. It was as if I was robbed of everything I own, leaving a complete space of nothingness in my hands. I felt like crying, I've never been this depressed.

I knew it. I knew this is going to happen one day. I shouldn't have befriended them, I was blinded by the wonderful feeling of happiness, ran away from reality for much too long. The price was too high for a temporary feeling of bliss, so high that I don't even think I could handle it.

I hung my head, it was as if a sandbag had fell upon me. I closed my eyes, trying to fight the feeling feebly.

"Hmm?"

My ears picked up some sounds from the left side of the bed. Curious, I leaned towards it to find a rather amusing sight.

Yui, sleeping on the floor, covered in blankets.

Her soft brown hair was messy, with her eyes closed tightly. Her eyebrows were bent up, picturing an expression of worry. The sweet pink lips that used to smile, now has been curled down. Her hands balled up to fists, clenching the silky blankets to mess.

Why is she here? Were my earlier assumptions wrong? If not, what other reason could there be? Did she purposely wait for my consciousness to recover just to laugh at me?

So many questions appeared. Despite the mystery, I was relieved. It was a nice sight to me, like a sight of an oasis in the Sahara desert, like an only light shining in the darkness. But still, my doubts remained.

"Hiromi-kun…" Yui murmured in a low voice, eyes still closed.

"I'm here." I answered.

"Hiromi-kun…" she repeated.

"I'm here."

"Hiromi-kun…"

"I said I'm here, you idiot!" Annoyed, I pinched her cheek lightly, but enough force to wake her up.

Yui abruptly opened her eyes wide, getting up with a sudden movement. She turned her head slowly, a sleepy look on her face.

"What the hell are you doing there?" I asked her.

Without answering my question, her face turned into joy. That usual smile I've longed to see is now there, shining brightly like the sun in summertime. She leapt off the floor and hugged me, a bit too tight, I noted.

"Hiromi-kun… you're alright!" She said as she rested her head on my shoulder, crying tears of happiness. Her arms were wrapped tightly around my neck, rendering me to suffer a difficulty of breathing.

Even though I hated the physical contact, I was feeling more than at ease. If she's happy I'm well, that means my earlier assumptions are wrong.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Now get off of me." I said rudely, despite the flooding feeling of delight in me.

It took about two minutes for her to let go. It was then that she stopped crying.

"Is Kotobuki safe?" I need to confirm her safety. Or else, my dying state would be a waste.

"Yeah! Mugi-chan is fine!" Yui chirped. "She was really exhausted, but she's fine now!"

That's a relief. I didn't get shot for nothing, then.

"What are you doing here?" I asked her once again.

"We've been taking turns in watching you, to make sure someone is by your side when you wake up."

So that's that. My earlier assumptions were incorrect. If they're taking turns in watching me, it's only logical that they're worried of my well being. They're still my friends, and I'm glad. Hell, I don't think 'glad' could do justice, I might need to look up for another word more superior than 'glad'.

What bugs me is the silhouette of a man standing outside the blurry glass door. From what I make out, it seems to be Yuuki, with his trademark two antennas on his head. What is he doing here? Is it his shift today? If so, then why is Yui here?

"Hiromi-kun…"

I turned my head to Yui's general direction, which, caught me off guard.

Her face was close to mine, moving closer every millisecond. Her eyes closed, lips parted a bit. I just know where this is going, and I'm not sure how I should feel.

The distance between our faces were pretty minimal, I could feel her breath. What the hell am I supposed to do?

"Wait, Tainaka!" the muffled sound of Yuuki can be heard.

**BAM!**

"Yamamoto! You're conscious?"

Reflexively, Yui backed away, her face all red with embarrassment as she looked towards a random direction.

"Uh…"

Tainaka stood at the door, unable to mutter a single word. Yuuki can be seen behind her, his palm of hand pressed to his face.

"Ha… ha… well, my bad." The president said in a low voice, scratching her head.

Actually, I'm kind of thankful of that. I was pretty damn puzzled at what to do back then.

"So," Yuuki barged in, clearing his throat. "How're you feeling?"

"Peachy." I stated.

Closing the door after letting Tainaka in, he seated himself in one of the comfy chairs provided by the expensive hospital.

"I… I need to use the bathroom." Yui stated, scurrying outside with her face still red.

"Fill me in, I want to know what happened." I said to my old friend.

"Well, you probably remember your kick-ass action in that abandoned warehouse. Kotobuki stated she saw a flash of light as you were untying the rope, a reflection from a gun, I presume." He opened the can he had brought along with him. "If she didn't do that, the bullet would go through your brains."

I remembered that… "Yeah, I was crouching when I'm cutting the rope. As Kotobuki warned me, I stood up, making the round hit my stomach instead." I don't even want to imagine if Kotobuki had not warned me.

"Precisely." He took a swig of the cold coffee from his can, letting out a satisfied sigh after finishing. "After you escorted her home, she called for help. That was when her father came into action. This place, this shiny luxurious place, I believe you could guess who's the owner."

Kotobuki's father.

"I guess that's too obvious. Anyway, you were clipped by a .45 cal. Those things packed quite a punch, but the sneaking suit took most of the blow. You should be thankful."

I guess so... that sneaking suit father invented is one of his livesavers.

"But really, you should be more aware of your surroundings, Tainaka." Yuuki said to the president. "I just stated that Hiromi had gain consciousness and you kicked the door in."

"Yeah, but I was really worried!"

"I know that, we all are. But at least ask me why am I waiting outside instead of going in!"

The duo started a verbal war, completely oblivious of the fact that this building is a hospital. "Whose blood is this?" I pointed at the red IV bag.

Stopping almost immediately, Yuuki, along with Tainaka smiled, as if they remembered something.

"It was Yui's."

"What!" I was surprised. Of course, I've never thought she would do something like that. A girl like Yui would be really afraid of needles, she had done something that tests her courage just for me.

"Yeah, you're losing too much blood and needed a donor to help you. When asked, she raised her hand without any doubt."

I don't believe it. Yui did that? All this time I treated her really badly, I feel really guilty. I need to apologize and thank her somehow.

"And for your information, today was my shift, and Tainaka was next to watch over you." Yuuki said to me, letting me do the math.

That means… "She's here all the time?"

"Bull's eye." Yuuki performed a revolver hand gesture towards me. "Three days. Without going home to meet her family or a change of clothes."

My eyes were wide open. Tainaka seems to be pretty amused by the look on my face right now.

"Is that so…" that was all I could muster. I feel really thankful for what she had done. I hung my head, laughing lightly. "I'm so pathetic…"

"Yeah, well… I guess that's just her character. Anyways, we'll call the others right away. Let's go, Tainaka."

Yuuki was able to understand the situation. He wanted to leave me alone with Yui to let me talk to her. Huh, sharp guy.

The two went outside, closing the door quietly. I am now alone, thinking of the earlier happening between me and Yui just before Tainaka burst inside.

Even though I'm able to think clearly, I find it hard to look back at that event again. What was she thinking? Is she trying to kiss me? I don't really want to make assumptions here, but I have no choice. It's been an undying habit of mine to think about things when I'm alone.

Two theories. I've got two theories in mind, and I don't like the second one.

First theory, she was really happy she saw me alive and well, that her brain stopped functioning properly. This theory supports me well, for the fact that she's a natural airhead.

The other theory, which I don't really want to state…

She's in love with me.

Well fuck that, I'm not going to accept that one. I'll just go with the first, it's quite logical for a girl like her. Yeah, she's just too happy, there's no way a girl like her could fall in love, not a snowball's chance in hell.

Yui walked in, a look of anxiousness on her face. Silently, she sat herself on the chair, twitching nervously whlist looking around.

"Yui." I called out to her.

"Eh? What? What is it?"

That was too much exaggeration.

"It seems I made you worried. Sorry for that."

It appears I can't state a proper apology, mostly due to my lack of experience in saying sorry.

She smiled sweetly, her usual self recovered. "Don't worry, Hiromi-kun! What matters now is that you're fine. And Mugi-chan is well, so you didn't get hurt for nothing!"

My thoughts exactly.

We smiled at each other, letting the silence fill the room. Somehow, I felt pretty relaxed, even though knowing I got two holes on my stomach.

The door creaked, revealing my beloved friends. They were all happy to see me, which caught me off guard. I never thought I would be loved and cared by someone else.

"Kotobuki, how're you doing?" I turned my head to the victim of the kidnapping three days ago. She brought her family with her, for a reason I could easily guess.

"I'm doing well, Yamamoto-kun. It's all thanks to you."

"Young man, we are really thankful for what you have done. I was in panic, unable to think clearly, when, before I know it, my daughter was standing outside the house. Truly, what could we do without you?" Mr. Kotobuki said to me, a genuine thankful expression on his face.

Kotobuki, along with her family, bowed a perfect 90° to me.

"Okay, that's not necessary. It feels pretty damn awkward when there's someone older bowing at you."

The three raised their heads, smiling perfect gentle smiles.

"Well now, I would like to have a word with the young man, if you don't mind, that is." Mr. Kotobuki said to me.

He was surely old. His hair had lost its colors, and was pure white, slicked back to a Solid Snake hairstyle. Now that I observed him closely, he does look like Old Snake, with his moustache and all.

"I don't."

He took a foldable chair and placed it next to the bed. Mrs. Kotobuki was chatting away with the others from the club, seems to be having a good time.

"First of all, I would like to thank you for what you have done. You have risked your life to save my daughter." He said to me, his voice was of an elderly wise man.

"No need. It was for my own good, too."

"Now, if you need anything, anything at all, please let me know."

Anything, huh? Well, a foolish man would ask for one billion yen, but fortunately, I'm not foolish enough to ask for that.

"One thing." I said to the old man.

"What is your wish?"

"I don't want this incident to go public. The media cannot cover the case, be it newspapers, TV, or anything. I want this case to be non-existent. Nothing happened three days ago."

He was surprised. His eyes were wide open, and both of his eyebrows rose. A split second, it turned to a smile.

"You do not want to spread your heroic actions to the public." He stated, making clear of my intentions. "Consider it done, anything else?"

"No, I'm quite content with what I have." I turned my head to the club, all happy chatting and rambling, without a bit of worry in them.

Mr. Kotobuki turned his head to them, smiling as if he remembered something. He then turned his head back to me, laughing lightly. "You truly are the son of The Shadow."

I was taken aback by that statement. The Shadow was my father's codename in the fields. "You know my father?"

"As a matter of fact, I do. Close friends, even."

I never thought Kotobuki's father would be a friend of dad. Man, the world's a small place.

"If you please, sir, tell me more."

"Now where do I begin… we met for the first time when I was drinking in a bar. He was looking troubled, confused, I cannot help but to ask of his problems."

"When was this?"

"Before my daughter was born, and you were also still in your mother's belly." He cleared his throat. "Anyway, I asked him what might be troubling him, he stated his family was expecting a child, and will be born in a few months."

"What's troubling him, then?"

Mr. Kotobuki looked at me with his eyes reflecting sorrow for once. "I might say, it's the same troubling thing you also worried about. He's worried that his son wouldn't be able to live a normal, carefree life, if his father is a mercenary."

"The same as my worries…" Yes, all this time I've been thinking about my title, a son of a mercenary. It's a title that drove me away from society.

"Ever since then, we met each other frequently. He was a funny man, when you took a glance at him, it gives you the feel of a man with no flaw. But as it turns out, he was pretty curious in learning about parenthood." The elder man looked up to the ceiling, reflecting his memories. "Well, things turned out to be better than expected, don't you think?"

I scoffed, realizing my worries were no more. They've known about my identity, and yet they're still my friends. "Yeah, I suppose so."

Somehow, I always complain how rotten my luck was. Being a man different from others, unable to socialize effectively. But now, I'm thankful of it. An ordinary man wouldn't want to blast away, risking his life to save a friend from kidnappers. Yeah, I'm going to use my ability to protect those who I hold dear.


	34. Conspiracy?

It was the middle of spring, with the cherry blossoms started dying down, the freshmen of North High were undefeated in matters of spirits. As I walked the crowded streets, to my left and right were high spirited youngsters hiking the steep hill towards the haven of learning.

I had told Mr. Kotobuki about the incident, to not reach public ears at all cost. Despite the fact, it is still inevitable for the students of the school to spread rumors, which, making me a suitable subject to talk about between the youths.

"This is annoying."

That statement was unimportant, for I wasn't talking to anyone in particular. Of course, feeling annoyed as I am now could make you mutter unimportant words on your own. I guess you could say that was a waste of breath.

After school, I rested my tired mind with a cup of coffee. The others were here, lazing around like usual. Much to my surprise, Nakano was also enjoying her tea lazily. That cup Kotobuki gave was rather unique, a pink tea cup resembling a cat.

"How does it feel, being the hot topic of the school?"

Fixing a cup of coffee for himself, Yuuki sat on one of the chairs, joining us.

"Like crap."

He snickered, already expecting the answer easily. "Yeah, well… a man shot twice and still going to school four days later is always gossip-worthy."

I guess you could say that.

Anyways, it's been too long since I've touched my guitar. My senses haven't felt music in four days straight, making me rather… incomplete.

I stood up, heading towards my guitar. As I opened the case, I noticed it was all sparkly and shiny. It was cleaned recently, probably yesterday. On top of that, the strings were new, too.

"Who cleaned my guitar?" I turned my head towards the table, which Yui reacted by raising her hand.

"I did!"

"Not necessary, thanks anyways."

I took out my guitar, hearing the disappointed sighs coming from the table. I ignored it, knowing it's just a waste of time to ask.

Plugging the jack to the amp, I tested the new string. Sounds good, it's always a pleasant feeling when you ring a new string for the first time.

I played the intro of 'Smoke on the Water', which caught the others' attention.

A short time later, Nakano joined me, with her Fender Mustang's top quality sound overwhelming my decent Epiphone sound.

Tainaka got up, striding her legs to the drum set. Sitting on the stool, the drums joined the beat, making the song more adrenaline pumped.

Without a single word muttered, Tanigawa elegantly took his bass and started joining. Of course, his usual smile was there, as if it was a permanent part of him.

Adding a bit of tune to the beat, Kotobuki turned on her keyboard. It was a great addition to the song, like adding ketchup to French fries.

Yui didn't want to miss the action. She jumped out of her seat and started mimicking Nakano. Even though she didn't know the song, she could copy the ones who knew.

"Hit it, Tainaka!"

Yuuki jumped to the center, his phone acting as a microphone.

The drums rolled, cueing the vocals to come in. With a pose, Yuuki sang with all his heart.

_We all came out to Montreux  
>On the Lake Geneva shoreline<br>To make records with a mobile  
>We didn't have much time<br>Frank Zappa and the Mothers  
>Were at the best place around<br>But some stupid with a flare gun  
>Burned the place to the ground<br>Smoke on the water, a fire in the sky, smoke on the water_

One thing I remembered about this old friend of mine was his strong voice. He was, in fact, a fan of the 70s. Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, you name it. And with that booming voice of his, I doubt there's anyone in Japan that could match him.

_They burned down the gamblin' house,  
>It died with an awful sound<br>and Funky Claude was running in and out  
>Pulling kids out the ground<br>When it all was over  
>We had to find another place<br>But Swiss time was running out  
>It seemed that we would lose the race<br>Smoke on the water, a fire in the sky, smoke on the water_

Time for the guitar solo. The guitar solo for this song was one of my earliest songs that I practiced. I remembered my father taught me with an acoustic guitar when I'm at 6th grade.

As I rocked the song away, I noticed Akiyama was walking around, taking photographs of us. It seems this is something quite memorable to keep, the light music club jamming together without any plans, and doing a great job at it.

The solo finished smoothly as I expected. Yuuki caught his breath to prepare singing the next verse.

_We ended up at the Grand Hotel  
>It was empty cold and bare<br>But with the Rolling truck Stones thing just outside  
>Making our music there<br>With a few red lights and a few old beds  
>We make a place to sweat<br>No matter what we get out of this  
>I know, I know we'll never forget<br>Smoke on the water, a fire in the sky ,smoke on the water_

The ending was something else, the club went to an adrenaline high, and started blasting away with their instincts playing. Even though a bit messy, it was rather miraculous.

With a splash of the cymbals, the song ended. It was like a miracle, with no planning whatsoever. I guess this is one of the club's merits.

"Goddamn it, you could pick an easier song than that." Yuuki, out of breath, said to me.

"Sorry, my instincts told me to." I replied, smirking at the tired man.

"But that was surprising," Akiyama, checking the results of the pictures, piped in. "I never thought you would have a strong voice, Tanaka-kun."

"Yes, it caught me by surprise, too. Are you practicing vocals, Tanaka-san?" Tanigawa, putting down his bass, was curious of the vocalist's voice.

"Nah, it's just something I got ever since I was born." Yuuki stated, grabbing a bottle of water.

"That was the most amazing voice I've ever heard!" Unexpectedly, Nakano was amused. It was pretty out of character for her to have an excited expression like Yui.

Gulping down the pure mineral water, Yuuki raised an eyebrow, though blushing ever so slightly. "Uh, that was too much exaggeration."

"Hiromi-kun, teach me the guitar for this song!"

All comments were directed to Yuuki due to his voice. But Yui, she was pretty much amazed by the earlier solo I pulled.

"Not until you fully learned 'Sealed with a Kiss'." I had taught her the next song for her fingerstyle career, a classic first recorded by the Four Voices in 1960, and made a hit by Bryan Hyland in 1962. I figured nobody in the school, I mean, nobody at all, knew this song. The youngsters today pretty much listens to a certain talentless kid who looked like a homosexual woman.

She hung her head, looking towards the floor with a sad expression, which reminds me of a certain meme on the internet, the 'Okay Guy'.

"Well, Yui-chan, all you have to do is practice, right?" Kotobuki cheered the sad girl up. For some reason, she glared fiercely at me, which was pretty scary since, all this time, this is the first time I saw her eyebrows bent down. It seems the others were distracted enough to not notice her looks.

"Right! I'll do my best!" Yui cheered up in a flash, with her usual determined face planted.

Yui then practiced with all her might, sitting on the bench all alone, she played the tune with a few missed notes here and there. I worry not, since she's a fast learner, I believe she would master it tomorrow at least.

"What the hell was that for?" I whispered to Kotobuki, who has returned to her usual self. Yui's earshot was disrupted by the guitar, so it's rather safe to speak more loudly.

She sighed, looking pretty disappointed. "Yamamoto-kun, why can't you be more polite towards Yui-chan?" the kidnapping victim a few days ago looked at me with a serious expression. "She saved your life, please do something to repay her at least."

Well, regarding that… "I know. I'll do something, but I'll do it my way."

Kotobuki looked at me with an approving look. "Good. Prove to me that you're a man of your word, Yamamoto-kun."

"I always am."

The next day, it was yet another afternoon at the club. As expected, Yui stated that she had mastered the song pretty well. I was, in fact, proud of her. I never thought I would teach someone so talented, yet weird.

"Give it a go, then. Make sure everyone hear it."

She played the song with grace, her slender fingers moving smoothly, like the petals of a cherry blossom falling from its home in a velocity of 5 centimeters per second.

"Yui-senpai is unexpectedly talented." Nakano whispered to me as the song goes.

"I know. That's why I like teaching her."

"Really… does that mean you like her in any way?" the kohai said to me with a voice louder than necessary. I've never seen the girl looking pretty smug.

"Shut up."

As the song ended, I patted her head lightly. I don't know why, but it's a gesture I enjoyed doing.

"Good job. Your fingers are starting to get the feel, and the tune was perfect."

Yui gave me another smile. I can't help noticing the weird feeling inside of me getting stronger by the day.

"Do you have to be really technical? I mean, you sound like a scientist praising his assistant or something." Yuuki, with a smug look similar to Nakano, asked me loudly.

"Don't worry, Hiromi-kun. Don't worry." Yui patted my shoulder, giving me a face that's telling me not to worry.

What the hell does that mean?

My instincts told me the club was up to something, like setting me up. It's pretty uncomfortable, knowing something is going on, but didn't know the reason why.

It feels like a conspiracy.


	35. Bandits in the Night

So far in my life, the night is the most enjoyable time to take a walk. The silent streets, the dim lights, the dark and intimidating area, it was perfect for my tastes.

Even though I have not a single thing in my mind, I can't help but think of my life ahead of me. The problems that had been on my mind since I started high school have been resolved, and there's nothing else to worry about. It seems wise to let it go on without any influences, and I will spend the rest of my time trying to help those in need.

As I turned to a rather lonely street, I saw a familiar figure with twin ponytails hanging on her head. It was pretty obvious by only looking at her back, that this person is someone rather special to the club.

What is her purpose of walking around at this hour? I am able to find out if I were to follow her silently, and I intent to do so.

The silent night is a sort of an obstruction for a task of espionage. It may be full of shadows to act as a cover, but there were no sounds that could conceal my footsteps, so I have to be as quiet as possible.

The speculations popped up inside my brain like the bubbles on a hot spring. From the directions she's going, it seems Nakano is intending to walk to a convenience store. There is a really small chance that she had noticed she was being followed, and tried to lead me astray by going in random directions. As much as I doubted it, the possibility exists.

I spotted a group of youngsters ahead of her, hanging around smoking and drinking. I got a bad feeling about this. Nakano noticed the gang, and seemed to hesitate to go through them. Realizing there was no other way, she built up her courage and walked rather quickly.

Much to her dismay, the gang strode their legs to her, and started to surround her. No good, this is something I have to interrupt.

"Well, lookie here… what are you doing in the dead of night, cute missy?"

I walked out of my cover quietly, I need to take them by surprise.

"Uh, I'm just going to the convenience store…" She was backed to a wall, no escape route can be seen.

No, don't panic, Nakano. It'll be bad if you make one wrong move. I saw a concealed knife on one of them, probably their leader.

"I see… then, if you would kindly give us all of your money, we will let you go." He pulled his knife and pointed it at Nakano's throat. "But if you fight us, we'll take something more… interesting." The man then lowered his knife, the edge barely touched her cleavage. The kohai was in fear and panic, she was unable to mutter any word as she trembled and shivered.

Get a grip, Hiromi. You can't take the risk of letting your anger consume you, it's a bad idea to strike blindly.

Just before I jumped out of the shadows, I could see a flash of something very fast hitting the head of the leader, knocking him out in an instant.

That something turned out to be someone. It was none other than the street fighter I knew well, looking pretty enraged as he stood on top of the unconscious man. I guess striking with rage isn't such a bad idea, after all.

The others were surprised, opening a chance for me to take them out. I kicked one by the knee, surprising him whilst disabling his ability to maneuver. I took the chance to introduce his face to the wall. I'm pretty sure I got his nose and a few teeth broken, that sound of a cracking bone was pretty satisfying knowing it came from a man with no respect.

"Did you just pull a goddamn flying kick out of nowhere?" I asked Yuuki, who was busy deflecting a robber's attacks.

"Yep, pretty awesome, huh?" He said as he kicked the robber in the face.

"Chuck Norris would be proud of you." I punched a jaw of one, fracturing it and knocking the lights out of him.

We were backed to the wall with Nakano behind us. There were still a lot of them surrounding us.

"Like old times…" I said to my companion.

"Yeah… but this time, we have someone to protect." Yuuki looked back to Nakano, who was still terrified, yet a bit relieved seeing us.

It was much harder fighting for someone else than fighting for yourself. The burden of someone's life is in our hands, and if we messed up, we will be bombarded with a massive attack of guilt.

The robbers were easy to defeat, they all have the guts, but not the technique. We were fighting effortlessly, taking out whoever decided to be knocked out first.

"I guess that's the last of them."

A sea of unconscious bodies lies before us. It was a rather messy sight, yet satisfying for my heart.

"You alright, Nakano?" Yuuki walked to the petite girl, who was curling up in a corner. I could easily tell the man was tired, and out of breath.

Without a word muttered, she wrapped her arms around him and started sobbing. Being the gentleman he is, Yuuki rubbed her back gently whilst muttering comforting words.

"Thank you… Thank you… I was so scared…" Nakano said, her voice muffled by Yuuki's shirt.

"It's alright, Nakano. You're alright now."

It was rather dramatic and all, but how the hell should I take care of this sea of bodies? That could wait, I need to ensure Nakano's safety first.

"Yuuki, take her home. I'll deal with this mess."

"Copy that. C'mon Nakano, let's get you home." The duo left hand in hand, with Nakano still sobbing loudly.

I rubbed my temples, feeling rather tired. Well, death isn't necessary for guys like them. However, I want them to suffer. I'm not monstrous enough to torture them one by one, so I'll let the police deal with this.

"How troublesome…"

* * *

><p><strong>Untold Story #1: Tanaka Yuuki, A Reliable Senior.<strong>

"Ah, I forgot to thank Yamamoto-senpai!"

I laughed lightly, throwing my head back like usual. "Don't worry, that guy won't mind." I knew my friend too well to know his true personalities. "What are you doing, walking around at this time anyway?" I turned my head to the nearly robbed girl.

"I was intending to buy an eraser, I seem to have lost it somewhere." Nakano explained to me.

"If possible, wait for the next day. I really don't want to see you in that situation again." I can't seem to hide the worried expression on my face, which is a rarity really, I've never failed to fake an expression.

"You have my words, senpai." She turned her head to me with an assuring smile. It was pretty charming, I can't help but feel really, really, astonished.

"That's good to hear." With my usual smile, I shifted my eyes away from her. I can't stand someone as small and fragile as her, she's just too cute.

We walked in silence for a few seconds, with only our footsteps and the sound of crickets accompanying us.

"But really… I didn't expect to be threatened like that." Nakano broke the brief moment of silence, I noticed her eyes were still red.

"Well, this world, this rudderless world, it's not a pleasant place. It's a place for survival, every man for himself. I kind of learned it the hard way." I said to her, reflecting the years of fighting by Hiromi's side.

"Does it involve Yamamoto-senpai, by any chance?"

Sharp girl. "Yeah, we went through hell together, fighting almost every day of the year." Looking back to those days, I can only think how delightful my life is right now.

"Really? So that's why you both are close." She nodded her head, learning something new about her two seniors.

We reached the Nakano residence in a couple of minutes. It was quiet, her parents must've been asleep.

"Well, here we are." I turned my head to Nakano, she was more than glad to reach her home safe and sound.

"Once again, thank you, Tanaka-senpai. I can't think of what'll happen if you didn't show up." She looked at me with a sweet smile.

"Don't mention it. Really, it feels awkward being thanked over and over again."

She chuckled a bit, before walking towards the door. "Well, good night, Tanaka-senpai. Once again, you have my thanks."

"I'll see you at school." I then walked towards my home, letting the dark of the night greet me once again. I don't mind, since I was satisfied enough to make sure the damsel isn't in distress anymore.

"Yuuki-senpai!"

I wasn't as sharp as Hiromi in a matter of senses, I didn't notice the kohai running up to me until I turned my back. Before I could register what was happening, I felt contact with the girl's body.

"You won't mind if I call you that, right?" She said as she wrapped her arms tightly around me. As much as I enjoyed the contact, my heart wasn't beating at a stable rate it could blow up anytime.

"I won't, Azusa." I smiled at her, managing to keep my cool.

After a brief smile, she let go of me, moving towards her home once again. I slowly watched her back disappear to the darkness, making sure she's safe. Once I was alone, I walked back to my house.

I don't know why she suddenly ran and hugged me like that, but I think she's influenced by Hirasawa. That girl loved physical contact more than anything, even Hiromi was weak against her.

"Azusa… feels rather weird calling someone by a different name…"

Though the reason she wanted to call my given name was unknown, I was more than happy to know that she's the only one who's going to call me that. I may think much too positively, but it makes me feel like I'm a special person to her.

Oh, well. Optimism is something I've always posses since I was born. I guess there's no harm in thinking that way.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: The Untold Story is a series of short stories that are told in a POV of someone other than Hiromi. I don't know why, I just have the urge to write in someone else's point of view. Expect more!<strong>


	36. Kathy MacFarlane, Tough Woman

**Author's Note: I can't resist the urge to add another character from Animal Parade. I guess she could smooth out the relationship between Ritsu and Chihaya... we'll see.**

**Update 18-07-2011, 17:38 WIB. Fixed a minor mistake that could confuse someone. Sorry.  
><strong>

* * *

><p>"What's wrong with him? Is he high?"<p>

"No, he's just pretty damn happy."

It was a warm Saturday afternoon in the Castanet Café. The three of us were sitting around in the kitchen, completely free of customers to serve. Chihaya was confused enough to tilt his head as he locked his sight towards the bright smiling man who helped me waste a few robbers the night before.

"Care to explain? I'm not foolish enough to ask this probably smashed man." He turned his head to me, pointing at the more-than-happy Yuuki.

"I'm not sure of the details, but I'm sure it involves our kohai, Nakano Azusa. For some reason, they started calling each other by their given names." I took a sip of my coffee, closing my eyes to feel the taste even deeper.

"You didn't look this happy when Hirasawa called you by your given name." Chihaya smirked at me.

"I'm sane enough to keep my bearings, and I don't particularly like it."

"GIVE ME ALL OF YOUR MONEY!"

Reflexively, the three of us ducked down to avoid detection. It seems someone was crazy enough to rob a place at this hour.

I signaled the others to wait while I check the situation. They nodded and gave me the go ahead.

As I plucked my head out of the counter, I saw a gun barrel a few meters away aimed towards my forehead. Thankfully, I was born with enhanced reflexes, which saved me from having a bullet blasting through some things inside my skull.

"That was close." I muttered, looking at the hole on the kitchen wall where my head was previously located. The robber kept firing away, mostly due to fear.

"What kind?" Yuuki turned his head to me.

"Six-gun."

"Okay…" He leaned against the counter, relaxing as he let out a sigh. "But really? Robbing at broad daylight? I guess this world had gone mad." Yuuki, out of his trance, was pretty amused. A round was shot to one of the frying pans, making a loud 'ding' sound.

"Not mad enough to make a man rob a place in this hour." I replied, noticing another round fired.

"Will you guys just shut up and figure out a way to stop this!" Chihaya was in a state of panic, covering his ears with his hands.

"Ah you worry too much, Chihaya. That's one of the many causes of fast aging, y'know." With his cool, calm and collected manner, Yuuki said to the scared chef.

"My café's gonna be destroyed! Damn you, criminal scum!" He shouted at the gunman, though inaudible due to the gunshots booming away.

"Should be any minute now…" I counted the holes on the wall, four were present, one bullet hit the pan, so it'll be one more shot.

**Bang!**

"Go!"

Like I had stated before, the gun I saw just a few seconds ago was a six-gun. Despite having a cool design and one hell of a kick, the weaknesses of this old firearm are the reload time and capacity. Without a moon clip, it requires excellent dexterity and speed to slide the bullets to the chambers. Just by looking at his idiocy of robbing a place in daylight, I could tell he's not a professional in gun handling. Yuuki and I knew enough to strike while he's reloading, it's the best chance for an unarmed man to strike at an armed man.

The distance between us and the criminal was rather far, he retreated as he saw us running up to him. I'm pretty sure I could outrun him, but something stopped him from exiting the café.

That something turned out to be someone, who was rather lethal.

The crook fell on his back, unconscious, nose was bleeding and broken. The bright lights outside blinded us, revealing only a silhouette of the person who knocked the man out.

"I see you boys are still kicking ass."

That voice…

"No way… you're…" Yuuki, recognizing the voice, stared at the shadow in disbelief.

"Yo." The person stepped closer, revealing the cat-like grin I haven't seen in a long time.

"Kathy!"

Kathy MacFarlane. I must say, it's good to see her well. She was someone quite important to Yuuki and me. Back in junior high, she was a fighter, one of the strongest in school. She formed a gang on her own, The Stormbringers, an all-female gang that consists of well trained girls, fighting for peace and harmony of the school. She was really unique in our old school. Every person would fight for themselves, but The Stormbringers, they fought for someone else. Be it protecting someone, or resolving some problems with cheating men the hard way, they all did it.

This peculiar old friend of mine is a transfer student from the US. She was expelled in the middle of 7th grade due to her constant fighting spotted by the officials, and was forced to go back to her country. I remembered she often came and fought beside me and Yuuki, giving us a good support of firing power. I suppose she is one of the most important people in my life.

"What the hell are you doing here? I thought you went back to the states!" Yuuki couldn't believe his eyes.

"I'll do the explaining later, let's just call the cops and let them clean this mess." She kicked the unconscious man lightly.

"Deal."

I too, was rather curious of her sudden appearance. Though I remember she had a short hair a few years back, the blonde hair is now long enough, enabling it to be tied up in a ponytail. The green, shiny, cat eyes were still there, without a single change seen. She has grown even taller now, remembering she's carrying the genes of an American. She was a few centimeters shorter than me and Yuuki, maybe she's around 174 cm or so.

The police came in rather quickly, arresting the criminal and thanking us for the assistance. I can't help but to think about the courageous act Kathy had pulled. Curious, I decided to ask the people outside to know more.

"We were terrified, we heard gunshots coming from inside. Suddenly, a foreigner ran up to the place and kicked the robber in the face! It was amazing, she was like a superheroine!"

Okay, the thought of Kathy being a superheroine is rather disturbing. But she's still the same as ever, a bold and courageous woman.

As soon as the place was cleaned, we had a chat with the former gang leader.

"I decided to come back here, feeling the US isn't really fitting for me." She took a sip of her tea, courtesy of Chihaya. "I'm currently looking for a school to transfer to, got any recommendations?"

"There's a lot, but if you want to join us, we're in North High now." I said to her. "It's an average school, but peaceful enough. No bullying or anything."

"Great, I'll go there." Kathy turned her head to Chihaya. "But seriously, I never thought a lousy place like this would be robbed in the daylight." She said jokingly.

"Well, the term 'lousy' isn't really befitting for this extraordinary place. And that scum had a few screws loose on his brains." He retorted, taking a glance at the bullet holes on the kitchen walls.

The foreign woman chuckled lightly, remembering the old days of hanging out in the café with her gang. "So, how's life for you two? I suppose Chihaya's is still the same after all these years." She pointed at Yuuki and me.

"Much, much better for me." Yuuki stated, looking up at the ceiling. "Looking back at my days with you both, it's like heaven to me."

"How about you, Yamamoto? Do your friends know your secret?"

"Yeah." I scoffed. "They accepted me though, unexpectedly."

Kathy smiled, reminding me she was a reliable big sister type. She couldn't be happier when she knew someone's trouble has been resolved. "That good to hear. How do they find out?"

"Well, that's…"

"Full of action packed adventures." Chihaya piped in.

"What?" Kathy tilted her head, confusion on her face.

"You don't want to know, really. It's pretty… abnormal." I said, not in the mood for explaining.

"Oookay… so I take it you both don't need any help, then?" I could easily tell she was happy seeing us without problems, unlike the years of junior high, where she would constantly helped us fight.

"Pretty sure I don't." Yuuki stated confidently.

"None for me." I said.

"Good. I'm happy for you both."

Chihaya's phone rang, getting all of our attention. He took it out of his pocket and answered it.

"Hello?"

"Chihaya! Are you alright? I've just seen the news!" That voice was undoubtedly Tainaka's, she was pretty loud that the whole café could hear everything even though the phone isn't in loudspeaker.

"I was until you shouted and got me deaf!" He retorted, pushing the phone away from his ear.

"Oh, that's good to hear… anyway, I'm heading there!" Tainaka then hung up, bemusing the chef.

"Who was that?" Kathy seems amused.

"Friend of Hiromi's. She's the president of the club he joined." Chihaya put his phone back to his pocket.

"Club? Really?" The blonde turned her head to me, looking pretty interested.

"I know what you're thinking, but it's a requirement. Like it or not, I have to." I explained to her.

"But turns out, you loved it." Yuuki piped in.

"I do not." I bluntly butted.

"You're denying it." Kathy stated, putting up a hand to her chin. "You haven't changed at all, Yamamoto."

"People don't change, Kathy." I stated.

"Oh, they do, Yamamoto. Slowly and surely, they will change depending on the ones who influenced them." With an air of confidence, Kathy stated boldly. "I'm pretty sure you remember how I like to help people in need a few years ago, with a method of violence. But now, I'll use it as a last resort. I'll try to talk my way out before punching someone in the throat." She breathed out a long sigh, remembering the old days. "Seated here in front of you is a perfect example of a changed woman."

"Whatever." I'm not really in the mood for lectures now, so I'll just shrug it off.

A few calls were received. It was the club asking how Chihaya was doing. After a few statement, the chef was rather amused by the worried friends. He had never been on someone else's worry list before, and this would be his first time.

The fragile glass door opened, revealing the worried drummer of the club in her casual outfit, gasping for breath. Tainaka was rather relieved to see the chef well, and was confused when she saw an unfamiliar face.

"You don't have to come all the way out here…" Chihaya said to her.

"I was worried! And who's this?" Tainaka turned her head to Kathy.

"Meet Kathy MacFarlane, an old friend, a caring girl, and one hell of a fighter." Yuuki introduced the president of the club to our old friend.

Kathy stood up, offering her hand with her cheerful face attached "Pleased to meet ya!"

"Ah, I'm Tainaka Ritsu." The tomboy was amazed as she shook the foreigner's hand. Kathy was practically towering her, the difference of their heights were too far.

"Why the hell did you run, anyway?" Chihaya asked Tainaka with a frown on his face. Of course, that was, obviously, a fake expression of annoyance.

"I was worried! I ran by reflex when I saw your café on the news!"

"Try to stay calm next time, digest what the news has to offer first. Seriously, you panic too early." The chef turned his head away, hiding his blush.

"Alright, alright, I'm sorry." Tainaka took a seat as she rested her tired legs. I stood up and fixed her a glass of iced tea for energy replacement. In a matter of seconds, she gulped down the contents of the transparent glass with the Castanet Café logo on it.

Kathy wore a mischievous expression as she locked her sight to the tomboy. I, for one, doesn't like that look. God knows what's on her mind when she looked like that.

"So, you're Chihaya's girlfriend?" She blurted out of the blue.

Tainaka reacted with a spit-take, making the table all messed up and wet. After a few coughs and groans, she glared at the question asker.

"Like hell I am! I don't even think there's a woman stupid enough to date this guy!" She yelled uncontrollably, pointing at the chef.

"Ex-squeeze me? I bet there are a lot of girls going for me out there!" Chihaya retorted.

Kathy laughed with much delight as the two started yet another verbal war. Ah, well, I guess this is one of her traits, making chaos out of nowhere.

We walked towards our respective homes after that, and Tainaka decided to settle things with Chihaya alone in the café. It was then Kathy decided to explain her doing.

"I just wanted to get them together."

She was very sharp in relationship problems, be it matchmaking, problem solving, or other stuffs I'm not interested in. It was like she's the goddess of love of some sort.

"I knew well that Tainaka was in love with the guy, it's just that she couldn't accept the fact really well. A state of denial, if you must say." She took a long breath, trying to find a way to explain Tainaka's position. "She couldn't believe she fell in love with the guy she detested, so she told herself that it was just a… whatchamacallit… mental illness maybe? Anyway, the point is, she didn't accept her true feelings about Chihaya."

"You're pretty good at this stuff. How did you know just by looking at those two?" Yuuki was rather curious at this point.

"The other members of the club gave a call to Chihaya. They were worried, I could tell. But Tainaka was the only one to approach him directly to make sure he's safe and sound. Isn't it obvious now?"

Kathy got the truth dead on. I was, in fact, amazed by her skills in deduction. It seems this old friend of mine is one of the eagle eyed people I've met.

"Getting sharper by the day, aren't you?" I said to Kathy.

"Of course, but it's just a hobby of mine to read people. Incidentally, it increases my knowledge of society and its characteristics. So… two birds with one stone."

She's interested in knowing people and what kind of problems they have. Not just that, she even went through all the trouble of finding them a solution. Kathy is, no mistake, the reliable big sister type that everybody loves. With those skills, supported by her status as a foreigner, she could make friends easily almost anywhere.

How I envy her.


	37. The Courage of Akiyama Mio

**Author's Note: I'm relieved that Kathy is well-accepted. I thought I was adding too much character, but turns out, you guys liked it. Thank you!**

**SO! Looking at the reviews, my spirit to write went up to OVER 9000! So here, a new chapter!**

* * *

><p>"What are you, a 3rd grader?"<p>

I took the last slurp of my cold milk, obtained from the crappy vending machine this school provided. Throwing the cardboard box away to the trashcan from a distance, I readied myself to reply.

"Age doesn't matter, milk is good for all people. It provides good stuff for your body." I said to Kathy.

"After all these years, I still can't stand a second of your lectures."

"Then don't ask."

It was Monday, the day where every people on earth feel like they've just fallen to the pits of hell. Kathy and I were no exception. We are now located on the top of the school building, enjoying the winds of spring with our minds full of the earlier lessons the merciless teachers gave us.

"How did the introduction go?" I asked, breaking the silence.

"Like a tall, blonde, foreign woman going to a Japanese high school would." She smiled, remembering the events just this morning. "It's pretty interesting, looking the faces of the class pretty amazed."

Kathy was assigned to a different class than anyone in the club, so she's pretty much alone.

"Men hitting on you?"

"Almost the whole class." The tall girl chuckled, "They did a feeble attempt in speaking English, which was pretty funny."

"Figures." I turned my head to the city view. The rooftop is a pretty good place to relax for people with an artistic mind, the scene was pretty inspirational.

"The boys were watching me all the time wherever I go. I have to admit, it feels uncomfortable."

"You can defend yourself if they do something weird." I'm not one to worry over her, if she could take care of other people, I'm sure she could take care of herself.

"Yeah, no need to worry." Kathy shifted her eyes to the door leading inside. "And even now, I'm still being watched."

I felt it too, someone was behind the closed door.

"Oh, well. I guess it's fine as long as they didn't do anything strange." The blonde stated. "Anyways, what club are you in?"

"The light music club." I stated, letting go of the focus on the door.

"Really? Can I join? I don't think there are any clubs I'm interested in."

"You can. Old school building, 3rd floor, last door on the hallway."

"Alright, I'll head there after school."

The bell rung, indicating break time is over. We went back to our respective classes, ready to face another wave of lessons.

As I went inside my class, I saw Yui out of breath, as if she had sprinted from somewhere. I decided to ignore it, presuming it's a private matter she didn't want to share.

My seat was far from hers, and close to Yuuki's. As I sat down, my friend leaned closer to me.

"It was Hirasawa."

"What? Why would she do that?" Yuuki was referring to Kathy's stalker a few minutes ago, it seems he saw the culprit.

"If you don't know, I don't." Though he said that, I could easily tell he was hiding something. The bastard just didn't want to share information that easily.

"Whatever."

Class went by like any other day, with some students listening, some passing notes, and Yuuki drawing what seems to be a poor representation of Cthulhu. For a second there, I thought it was an octopus trying to swallow Count Dracula's head.

As the bell rung, we walked towards the clubroom together, with the exception of Akiyama and Nakano, who were in different classes, and Tanigawa who had cleaning duty.

"But really, I never thought Chihaya's café would be robbed in broad daylight!" Tainaka stated, turning her head to us.

"You have to expect the unexpected." I stated, quoting someone I'm not really sure who.

"And Kathy's appearance was also unexpected, I never thought we would meet again in that situation." Yuuki piped in.

"Kathy? The newly transferred student Kathy MacFarlane?" Kotobuki asked.

"Yeah, she was the one who thwarted the robbery."

"Really… we have a heroine in our school."

"Were you guys close to her?" Tainaka asked me and Yuuki.

"I guess you could say we'd be dead meat if she weren't helping us a few years back." Yuuki stated.

"She must be a great fighter, then." The drummer concluded.

We reached the clubroom in a matter of minutes. Dead silence greeted us as we went inside, and not a single soul detected.

As usual, Kotobuki took the job of serving us a nice, warm cup of tea. It's a tradition of the club to relax every chance they get. Akiyama and Nakano appeared shortly after. I must say, those two looked like sisters when they're standing side by side.

"Yui, how's your training going?" I decided to check on my apprentice.

She stared at the ceiling with a blank expression, and was completely oblivious of her surroundings. Of course, my voice didn't even reach her brains.

"Oi." I snapped my fingers in front of her, getting her out of her trance.

"Eh? I'm- I'm doing fine, Hiromi-kun!"

I sighed at her, feeling pretty hopeless. I guess this is one of the downsides of teaching an airhead.

The wooden door voiced his old sound with two constant knocks. It was someone polite enough not to kick the door in, and the sounds of the knocks were not light, indicating it was someone who has great upper body strength. With all that info, and Kathy's statement during the break, everything was obvious.

"Come in!"

The sound of creaking can be heard, the door swung open lightly whilst revealing the person behind it. I've made no mistake, it was Kathy with a look of confidence on her face.

"Yo," Yuuki greeted. "You joining?"

"Yeah," The tall girl stated, closing the door and standing in front of it.

"Everyone, let me introduce you Kathy MacFarlane." Yuuki gestured towards the club applicant.

"A pleasure to meet you all." She bowed a perfect 90° to us. Reflexively, the girls bowed back.

"Cut the formality crap, it's not fitting for you." Yuuki stated.

Kathy stood straight, scratching her head. "Yeah, well, sorry about that."

The club introduced themselves one by one. The title of 'The Tallest Girl in the Light Music Club' has been handed to our new member, Kathy MacFarlane.

"Do you like tea, Kathy-san?" Kotobuki decided to know more of the foreigner.

"One of my favorites!"

"Then perhaps you would like some?"

"If you please!"

Kotobuki scurried away, excited to know what Kathy thought of her tea. It seems these two could get along well.

"One thing about her, she's an expert in lovey dovey stuff. So if any of you are down on your luck, try a counseling session with her." Yuuki threw a random fact of our old friend.

"You don't have to point that out, Tanaka. But you guys are welcome if you want." Kathy stated with a cheerful look on her face.

"Then…" Akiyama voiced, looking pretty nervous. "Can I ask you something?"

"What is it, Akiyama-san?" Accepting requests is the most loved thing for Kathy. She's always happy to help people, especially of the same gender.

"I have a boyfriend…" The patient started.

"Uh-huh. And?"

"Is there any way that could make him happier with me?"

"PAHAHAHA!"

The sudden burst of laughter that broke the suspense came from Yuuki, who was pretty amused by that question.

"Shush, Tanaka! Now, Akiyama-san, is there any problem with him or anything?" Kathy asked her patient, while Yuuki was silenced by Kotobuki, with the help of Nakano by forcefully shoving a cake to his mouth.

"No, nothing is worrying me, but I just want to make him happier."

"Okay, so everything is going well, but you want to make him happier." Kathy put up a hand to her chin, posing like a skilled detective. "Now tell me more about the love of your life, Akiyama-san."

"He's tall, handsome, charming…" Akiyama started to lose herself, and went to la-la land.

"She meant his personality, not his physical description…" I stated, putting up a facepalm.

"Actually, appearance could describe one's characteristics, but it would help if you directly state it." Kathy was rather amused.

"Oh, sorry." Akiyama cleared her throat, snapping back to reality. "Well, he's caring, gentle, sweet, intelligent-"

"You know those anime pretty boys? Yeah, he's one." I said to Kathy, saving up time.

"Okay, okay, I get the picture. Now lemme think for a while…"

I took the chance to observe the others. Yuuki was still munching the cake, with Nakano beside him staring intently at the psychologist. Kotobuki was just sitting there, with her usual smile. Unexpectedly, Tainaka, along with Yui, had the same look as Nakano. They were pretty curious at this stuff.

"Well, I think you'd need to do something out of the ordinary." Finally, Kathy came up with an answer.

"Out of the ordinary?"

"I assume he'll be here in a short while, am I right?"

"Yes, he should be done of his tasks by now."

"Try this… when he came inside, hug him tightly and state that you loved him."

"What! I can't do that! Not in front of…" Akiyama was flabbergasted, turning her head towards us.

"What's the point of doing that?" Tainaka was confused.

"My guess is to show Tanigawa that Akiyama is brave enough to show her love in front of everyone." I concluded. "Am I right, Kathy?"

"You won a million dollars, Yamamoto." The tall girl said to me. "It'll show him that your love won't hide just because of the existence of other people. Now can you do it?" Kathy, with her confident smile, leaned closer towards the patient.

"I'll try." Akiyama let out weakly.

"No. Try not. Do, or do not. There is no try." Kathy stated, quoting Yoda.

Akiyama hung her head, deep in thought. With a sudden movement, she jolted her head towards Kathy, a confident look on her face.

"I'll do it!"

It reminds me of the day before her confession. Akiyama is a brave girl, but it's her thoughts that kept worrying her. What if it didn't work out? What'll happen if I do something wrong? What if this? What if that? These questions shouldn't be in her mind, just let it go naturally, and she won't be nervous. Speculations are good, but if too much, it'll be a disadvantage. It could give you overconfidence, or its arch nemesis, pessimism.

Speak of the devil, Tanigawa appeared as the door gently swung open. He was looking rather tired, due to the tough subjects for the day, plus his cleaning duties.

"I'm sorry for being late."

All of a sudden, Akiyama stood up…

* * *

><p><strong>Untold Story #2: Love of my Life<strong>

I am weary.

It's been quite some time since I've felt this weak both physically and mentally. The subjects for today are not giving me any mercy, and the duties I had to fulfill as a dedicated student was adding fuel to the burning fires of exhaustion. It seems I cannot do anything for the club today, I should apologize for my uselessness.

As I was done with my duties, I immediately walked towards the old school building. This bag full of books I'm carrying is like a sandbag, so little, yet so heavy.

Now I'm just muttering nonsense, it's actually the exhaustion of my body fooling my senses into thinking that the bag is heavier than it was.

I reached the music room in a matter of minutes, ready to greet the fine scent of Kotobuki-san's tea. What caught my attention is the silence in the room, like there's nobody inside. It scares me just by speculating the possibilities of what caused the silence, I should not do that.

I twisted the doorknob, feeling relief went throughout my body as the scent of tea infiltrated my nose.

"I'm sorry for being late." I apologized to the club. I saw an unfamiliar face inside, it seems someone from overseas.

My girlfriend stood up from her seat. She hung her head down, rendering me unable to read her expression. It was as if she had something to say to me, yet cannot let the words out. Just before I took the chance to ask, she walked quickly towards me and embraced me tightly.

I was surprised, astonished, stunned. The contact was so delightful, I could feel the exhaustion in me washed away like the clouds in a sunny day. During the day, my thoughts were full with the tasks the teachers gave to me, and had forgotten about the angel that could exterminate all the bad things in my life.

I had forgotten about her…

"Wh-what's wrong, Mio-san?" I was far too flabbergasted to not stutter.

"Nothing," She looked up to me, with her sweet smile that never ceases to bring me joy and delight into my heart. Those eyes half closed, along with a tint of pink on her pale face, and her lips curled up, she said the words which took me over to a world of happiness.

"I love you."

Those three words were simple, yet held a strong power to lift one's spirits up. I, for one, was so happy that all of that tiredness and troubles which were on my mind had completely vanished without a trace. Those words, knowing it came from the one I loved, made me went to a state of peace and tranquility.

I smiled to my fullest, unable to control my actions. With my reflexes acting up, I leaned towards her face and kissed her with all of my love released. With my eyes closed, all I could feel was her sweet lips touching mine. It was a feeling of bliss, a feeling that no other could replace. She's the only one that could make me feel like this, the love of my life, Akiyama Mio.

As we ended the romantic encounter, we took a seat at the table, holding hands and never let go. I could easily sense our feelings getting stronger than ever, even to the point where I believed there is no better couple than us.

"It seems I haven't introduced myself. I'm Kathy MacFarlane, it's a pleasure to meet you, Akiyama-san's boyfriend!"

Ah, yes, I had forgotten of the new member. How selfish of me.

"The pleasure's mine. My name is Tanigawa Kaito, I hope you enjoy the club, Kathy-san."

"I surely will!"

Such a high spirited character. It's good to know the club is getting merrier with Kathy-san joining. I suppose the road from now on will be much smoother.

What had been on my mind after Mio-san's words was still a mystery. I remember she had stated that she's embarrassed to show her love when the club is around. But those actions were pretty forward, and the club was watching clearly. Unable to find the answer, I decided to ask Yamamoto-san.

I caught his attention by tapping his indoor shoes lightly with mine. He realized the contact and turned his head towards me. I shifted my eyes to my lover beside me, and then back to him. The man nudged his head towards the new member of the club, Kathy-san. I nodded, understanding his language.

So Kathy-san was the one who instructed her to do that. It made me content, knowing my girlfriend would consult with someone just to make me happy.

I shall not disappoint her in any way. I will keep her happy, I will protect her from any harm, and I will stand by her side 'till my death cometh. It's an oath that will not break even during the toughest times, and I will always be ready for anything that will come to us.

Death will be the one that'll separate us.


	38. Friendship

"I'm going to buy a keyboard today."

Kathy's statement caught the attention of the club. Just yesterday, she told the others she could play anything, but has yet to buy an instrument. The club decided to add another keyboardist, due to the excess guitarists and bassists.

As the sun sets, the familiar orange light was spread all over the room. That, and the scent of tea Kotobuki never once missed to brew, has become a part of my daily life somehow.

"Let's go, then, the club will accompany you!" Tainaka stated with high spirits.

"Ah, then I must apologize, I have a family matter to attend to. I need to be home before dark." Tanigawa stated apologetically. "My apologies, everyone."

"It's alright, Tanigawa, have fun with your family!"

"That, I will."

After parted ways with the gentleman, and a few romancey stuff between him and Akiyama, we head to the music store with the girls as excited as ever.

"Y'know, I never thought life would be this peaceful in Japan." Kathy stated, looking at the sky. Her, Yuuki and I were walking quite far behind the girls.

"It's the club, actually, that's making me at ease. All those years back seems like it's just a flash of nightmare." With a content smile, Yuuki gazed at the sky along with Kathy

"The light music club sure is a miracle. Don't you agree, Yamamoto?" The blonde turned her head to me.

"I guess."

Though I said that, I know, in my mind, the light music club is the best thing that's ever happened to me. If they don't exist, I don't think I'll be living another happy day.

"You're always denying things, don't you?" Kathy said to me.

"That's a part of him that can't be detached." Yuuki agreed.

"Whatever."

We arrived at the music store in a matter of minutes. The place was rather quiet, with only a few people wandering around. The people today must've had interests in something else other than music.

Kathy took her time choosing a good keyboard in a decent price. Kotobuki was kind enough to help the foreigner, pointing out the pros and cons of certain types.

"Hiromi-kun, how did you play that?"

I turned my head to Yui, who was pointing at a double-neck guitar.

"Depending on the sounds you want to produce. Look there, the top neck has twelve strings, while the bottom is a regular six string. It's just an instrument to provide efficiency for the guitarists to change sounds without the trouble of switching between guitars." I explained to her in hopes of expanding her knowledge in guitars.

"Ooooh, so you play them separately…"

Wait, what? "You thought it's played simultaneously?"

She nodded her head several times.

"You really are hopeless." I stated, earning a nervous laugh from her.

I might be irritated, knowing someone as clueless as her exists. But for some reason, my anger subsided when I saw her laughing nervously. It gave me a feeling of her innocence, like she had nothing in her mind other than fun and joy.

"Oi, Mio! There're left handed models here!" Tainaka shouted to her childhood friend.

"Really? Where?" Akiyama was quick to react, and bolted to the line of bass guitars for the lefties.

I was feeling rather bored, so I decided to wander around, looking for interesting stuffs. Not producing any results, I stood still, observing the others.

Yuuki and Nakano were chatting away, talking about guitars in general. It seems they're lost in their own world. Kathy was still busy digesting the information Kotobuki tossed away, while Akiyama was in a trance, her sight locked at the shiny display of the lefty models.

A few minutes later, Kathy decided on a certain brand of keyboard, which I'm not really familiar with. (I've never been interested in keyboards) It was a good one, she stated, and the price was reasonable with the advantage of bringing Kotobuki along.

"Sorry for the wait!" Kathy ran up to us, a plastic bag with a keyboard inside a cardboard box in her hand.

"You need help with that?" I pointed at the plastic bag.

"Nah, this thing weighs like a feather!"

I know you have good upper body strength, but I'll feel bad if a woman were to carry stuffs instead of men.

Oh well, Kathy isn't normal, anyway.

The club gathered once more, with Tainaka struggling to get Akiyama out of her trance. One thing to note, it seems something went wrong at the process, Akiyama looked annoyed for one, and Tainaka was quite confused. I took a glance to Kathy, who is an expert at this kind of things. As expected, she noticed the absurd behavior as well. I'll demand an explanation later.

"So, where to now?" Yuuki asked the club.

"Well, let's have some tea!" Tainaka was back in high spirits, punching the air excitedly.

"Again? My intestines could blow." I muttered.

"I can't go with you guys, I have to meet up with Nodoka-chan soon." Yui stated as she checked her watch.

"Nodoka? Yui, can I go with you?" Akiyama piped up, looking pretty interested.

"Of course! You're very welcome!"

Manabe is in the same class as Akiyama, so she might want to hang out with her outside of the class once in a while. I shifted my eyes to Tainaka, trying to study her expressions.

Worry? What is she worried about?

Kathy might know the answer, I'll ask later.

"Well then, see you guys later!" Akiyama cheerfully walked away with Yui, heading towards the shopping district. The rest of the club waved at their slowly disappearing figures.

"Let's follow them!"

And with Tainaka's command, the rest of the club ended up stalking the duo.

We followed them to a café somewhere around the shopping district. It seems Akiyama was having fun chatting with her classmate. Kathy, Yuuki and I were seated behind them, with a few objects acting as cover. The rest of the club was in a different table, with Tainaka observing intently.

"You boys thinking what I'm thinking?" Kathy asked quietly.

"Yeah." Yuuki and I said simultaneously.

It's pretty obvious that Tainaka was jealous. Akiyama is her childhood friend, a trustworthy person in her life. Seeing her having more fun with someone else would make Tainaka envious.

"Well, envy is the most common of the seven deadly sins, especially for women. This is a good example of one." Kathy stated.

"So what do we do? I really don't want any internal conflict here." Yuuki asked the expert.

"Nothing." The blonde replied bluntly

"What? We'll just let them go?" Yuuki was taken aback.

"They're best friends, and are close since childhood. It'd be best if we let them sort this out on their own. Don't worry, everything will be fine."

"This isn't our gig, then." I stated.

"Yeah, let's just let the calm tides of time mend their friendship."

Tainaka went all-out, approaching them with an over friendly manner. It's pretty obvious that something's wrong if the scene were seen by the eyes of a hawk.

And the three of us apparently have it.

* * *

><p><strong>Untold Story #3: An Unexpected Visitor<strong>

"So what the hell are you doing here?"

I was minding my own business in this silent café of mine, when suddenly Tainaka came with a worried expression. I decided to fix her a cup of tea to calm her down, though my sarcastic nature rendered the calming drink useless. She then stated she was troubled with something concerning her childhood friend.

"I don't know where else to go!"

"You have Kathy, Yuuki and Hiromi at the club. They're pretty good at this kind of stuff, why don't you ask them?" I said to her.

"I- I don't know!"

I sighed, feeling really not in the mood for this.

"Alright, spit it out."

"I don't know why, but Mio seems to be avoiding me." Tainaka started, hanging her head.

What bugs me is the absence of the trio's helping hand. Those three would act very quickly if there's trouble, and it'll be fixed pretty well. It feels as if they're purposely leaving this particular problem alone.

"Since when?" I asked, prying a little further.

"Maybe I've made a mistake around two days ago…"

The tomboy explained all the details revolving the events from two days ago.

Now I am really sure the three were intently not solving this problem. If they go as far as stalking Akiyama to the café, Kathy would deduce the problem easily with her expert skills in psychology.

I guess I need to tell her to just go with the flow.

"Listen here, Tainaka." I started, clearing my throat. "Akiyama is your best friend since you're just a little child. And all this time I observed her, she's not the kind that'll hate someone just because of a little crappy accident." I leaned back to my chair, fixing my messed up bobby pins. "Give it time and she'll bounce back to you. And don't be overly friendly with her, just act normally."

"I'm not sure about that…"

"If you're not sure, then you doubt your friendship."

She was caught off guard after I said those words. A look of sorrow can be seen clearly on her face.

"Look, I'm not really familiar with this kind of thing, but just by thinking logically and rationally, I could tell that she'll come back to you. Trust me on this one."

Tainaka got lost in thoughts for a split second, before raising her head with a look of determination on her face.

"Alright, I'll trust you. And don't say I doubt our friendship again!"

"Duly noted." I smiled a bit. I can't help but feel content in seeing her in high spirits.

As I observed closely, though, it seems something's wrong with her.

"You alright?" I asked just to make sure.

Tainaka put up a hand to her forehead. "I don't know, I've been feeling dizzy lately."

"Then what the hell are you doing here, let's get you home!" I stood up, ready to escort the ill woman to her house.

"No, no, no, I can go by my own."

There are a lot of negative thinkers on this planet, and it's pretty much the truth to say that I'm one of them. If she went alone and somehow got unconscious due to the dizziness, it would be great danger if someone inhumane enough were to find her body and do _things_ to her. Of course, the definition of inhumane is rather wide, so I'll leave the imagining to you.

"Do you know what sick people do? They shut up and let the healthy people take care of them." I said as I grabbed her by the wrist.

Reluctantly, she cooperated. We walked together towards the Tainaka residence hand in hand, with my companion constantly wobbling as she took a step.

As I reached the house, I knocked the door a few times to be greeted by her little brother, Satoshi.

"Clear a room for her, kid. She needs to lie down." I said to him, who was in a bit of a panic after seeing his sister in a weak state.

"Is she alright?" Satoshi asked me with concern.

"She will be. Now go." I, too, am a bit worried. But panicking at this crucial time would be yet another disaster. I have to stay calm.

I walked inside and upstairs, guided by the trustworthy little brother. He reminds me of the Hirasawa family, where the younger is the more sensible person rather than the older.

I gently put the patient down on her bed, feeling her breath on my ear as I do so. I might not be able to hide the blush on my face, so what the hell.

"Where are your parents?" I turned to Satoshi.

"They're at work. Should I tell them to get home early?"

"No need, the fever isn't that bad. Now, what do you need for a fever like this?" I asked him a question that almost every people on earth know.

"Compress, medicine, food…"

I smiled, knowing the guy is reliable enough. "Good, now fetch them for your sister."

He scurried away with haste, leaving the two of us inside the messy room.

"Well, I'd need to inform the others, then."

* * *

><p>After school, I don't have anything to do. Deciding to build something in Minecraft, I booted up my PC.<p>

After a few minutes of blocks and pixels, my phone vibrated as I was escaping from a few Creepers chasing after me. Thankfully, I wasn't playing online, so I could pause the game. I took a glance at the small screen to see Chihaya's name in it.

I opened my phone, wondering what he wanted. "Hello?"

"Hiromi, tell the club their president has a fever, and can't attend school tomorrow." Came the voice from the other side.

"Is it bad? Where is she now?" I demanded more details.

"No, just your regular everyday fever. She's sleeping right now, don't worry, I'm with her."

"Alright, I'll inform the others. Thanks."

"One more thing," Chihaya added, lowering his voice. "How's she doing with Akiyama? She came to my café just this afternoon, and told me all of her problems. I had to drag her home due to her fever."

"It's no big deal, just your usual high school drama. We're intending to leave the problem to resolve by itself, as instructed by Kathy." I explained to the chef.

"Alright, no need to worry, then."

I hung up after exchanging goodbyes. It seems I'd need to call Akiyama first, knowing she's Tainaka's best friend.

A few dial tones later, she picked up.

"Yamamoto-kun, what's wrong?" Akiyama sounded a bit surprised, it's a rarity for me to call someone.

"Tainaka has a fever, she can't attend school tomorrow." I stated.

"What! Is she alright?"

Now that's what I call a friend. I could tell by the tone of her voice that she's really worried, and in a bit of a panic. No, Akiyama didn't avoid Tainaka, the tomboy's just paranoid.

"Don't worry, it's nothing serious. Besides, Chihaya's with her."

"I see… let's visit her after school tomorrow, then."

"Understood. I'll call the others, you just stop worrying."

Skipping on to the next day, the club was rather worried of Tainaka's health. Somehow it wasn't the same when she's not around. It's like a jigsaw puzzle missing a single piece.

"Wanna make a bet, Yamamoto?"

It was lunch break, and once again, Kathy was up here in the rooftop along with me and Yuuki. It reminds me of our junior high days, where we would just sit down at the roof, talking about irrelevant stuff.

"On what?"

"Mio would fix things with Ricchan this afternoon when we're visiting her."

"The possibility is quite high. Akiyama, knowing her best friend is under the weather, would show much more concern than us…" Yuuki stated.

"…and Tainaka would be delighted in seeing her friend worry over her." I concluded.

"I guess this bet is too easy. Nevermind that, then." Kathy stated.

Once again, the glorious bell rang throughout the school, reminding us students to suffer yet another wave of difficult lessons for the sake of our future. We walked back to class, parting ways with Kathy after we descended the stairs. Class was like any other day, but with the club's worry, it feels as if the atmosphere was rather thick.

After school, we gathered in front of the school gate, getting ready to walk down the steep hill towards Tainaka's house.

"Alright, let's go."

Akiyama was the lead-off hitter, leading us to the Tainaka residence with haste.

As we reached the patient's house, Akiyama knocked the door a few times. Coming out of the wooden, sturdy, entrance was Tainaka's father. He seems content that her daughter's friends came to visit.

"Do come in, she's upstairs."

We barged in quietly, not wanting to disturb the household. It was a regular house, not too big or too small. A perfect haven for one with an intention of a living a happy life.

"Oi, Ritsu, you alright?" Akiyama asked as we're inside her room. Tainaka was awake, lying on her bed like a lifeless body. Her face was red from the heat, and a small compress on her forehead.

"Pretty much, thanks for visiting, guys." She replied weakly.

"You might want to thank Chihaya, he abandoned his duty of watching over his café just to get you home." I said to the ill president.

"Yeah, I'll remember that."

The club chatted and rambled as usual, only without tea this time. Being the only one out of the conversation, I took a glance to Tainaka. It seems the presence of the whole club is enough for her to feel at ease, thus she closed her eyes and went to the dream land.

Akiyama noticed her best friend sleeping peacefully and told us to quiet.

Kathy signaled me to leave the best friends alone, no matter what. I nodded and stood up from my seat that is the floor.

"Let's get going, our loud chattering will make the patient unable to rest soundly. Akiyama, watch over her."

That was pretty straightforward, but rather effective. Akiyama agreed to do so, as well as the rest of the club. Kathy gave me a thumbs up, approving my method. After a few farewells with her boyfriend, Akiyama sat besides Tainaka's bed.

Now, to wait for the results…

* * *

><p><strong>Untold Story #4: Unshaken Friendship<strong>

My head hurts…

I know it's nothing to worry, since it's just standard fever. But this pounding head of mine is kind of disturbing.

Have the others left? I hear nothing but dead silence in my room. Although it's brief, I really accepted their affection by visiting me. I felt at peace, knowing there are friends that are worried of my well being.

Friends, huh… I wonder how Mio is doing. I've disappointed her, I just hope she didn't leave me alone forever. It's just not the same when she's around.

I opened my eyes, feeling a bit recovered, though still dizzy. A familiar long black hair greeted my vision. Still in her sailor uniform, Mio sat there, beside my bed.

"Mio… what are you doing here?" I managed to ask weakly.

She turned her head to me, revealing the face I've known for a long time. If Yamamoto were here, I would ask what kind of expression she wore right now. But from the way I see it, it's a hint of worry.

"I'm watching over you for the day, so just go to sleep." She replied with a helpful smile.

"The others?"

"They left, Yamamoto-kun stated that excessive noise will make you unable to rest."

"Always the technical guy…" I muttered, remembering a certain always-frowning man in the club.

I lied on my back, staring at the blinding light above me. We didn't say anything for a minute or so, until I decided to break the silence.

"Sorry, Mio." I muttered.

"Huh?"

"I'm sorry for being annoying lately… I guess I'm just jealous seeing you with Nodoka." I admit, I am jealous. I don't know why, but my feelings were acting pretty weird recently.

Mio chuckled lightly, "Stupid Ritsu. You think I'd just leave you alone like that? Nah, you helped me before when we were little, and I'm sure I won't forget that, whenever and wherever I go." She then turned her head to me, revealing the smile I've always wanted to see. "I assure you, I won't leave you alone."

I was surprised, all this time I was thinking pretty pessimistically, now here she is, stating she would never left me. I smiled to my fullest, feeling an explosion of joy inside me.

"Thanks, Mio. You really are my best friend."

Even though it seems awkward, I was, in fact, in a state of overwhelming happiness. Now I know that she'll be there when I need her, and that she would never be gone from my side.


	39. Preparation for Summer

"Summer is close, huh…"

I ignored the obvious statement made by Yuuki, who was lazing around in his seat. It was just another day inside the comfy clubroom, and all the members were present. Somehow it feels so much different than last year, where the club consists of only 6 members. Now it's crowded, with Yuuki, Nakano, and Kathy joining.

"It sure is, maybe we should get another training camp for the summer." The president of the club suggested.

"Training camp?" Kathy asked.

"Yeah, like last summer!" Yui chirped.

"Might be good if you guys actually practice, and not just playing around." I stated, remembering the events of last year.

"Don't worry, we will!" Tainaka exclaimed with an air of confidence.

I'm not really sure about that. The girls were pretty much distracted when they saw the beach, and without much of a delay, would end up playing anyway.

The very next day, with a weary mind, I walked towards the clubroom with a bit of excitement. Somehow I was looking forward to the trip, maybe because I love getting away from the crowded, polluted city life. Though that was my assumption, I believe there may be another reason of my excitement. Due to my tired mind, I decided not to think further about it.

As I walked inside, I couldn't smell the scent of Kotobuki's tea. I shrugged it away, knowing the girls had cleaning duties. It was only our beloved kohai inside, sitting on the bench with her head hung down. Hearing the door creak open, she jolted her head towards me.

"Ah, good afternoon, Yamamoto-senpai."

"Yo." I replied, throwing my bag to the floor.

I strode towards the table to brew a cup of coffee. Caffeine is the only thing to keep my bearings right about now, and I may be able to think clearly with a cup.

"Want some tea, Nakano?" I offered the petite girl. I have a habit of offering help to the female gender, wherever and whenever possible.

"If you please." She replied.

I fixed her a cup of Kotobuki's expensive tea. Though I'm not quite a big fan of teas, it could actually calm your nerves and mind. But for me, nicotine is the best chemical for relaxing.

I noted she was already seated on the chair as I turned my back. I placed the pink cat cup in front of her, earning a small "thanks".

As I sat down and let the coffee cool down for a while, I noticed Nakano was looking a bit disappointed. Curious, I decided to ask her.

"Something troubling you?"

She seems to hesitate for a moment, until she decided to spill it all. "It's just… I really want the club to really practice during the training camp. Mugi-senpai told me what happened during the last trip."

Well, yeah, we barely practiced during the last trip.

"The 'training camp', as the others would refer, is just a disguise for us to have fun. No, they don't intend to practice at all, they just want to have a blast." I explained to the kohai. "But I admire your intentions to make them practice. I have an idea."

"Really? What is it?"

"Humans in general, they have what you call as 'jealousy', or 'envy'. I want to use that to move them on." I started yet another one of my blabbering. "The club, as of now, is feeling content with the skills they have. If I were to show them there are better players out there, they would want to get better."

"How would you do that?"

"Using you." I bluntly stated.

Nakano looked confused for a second. "I don't think I know where this is going."

"You are, in fact, the club's most talented and skilled guitarist. On top of that, you're pretty dedicated in wanting the club to practice. Now you do the math."

"So I have to show them that I am, like you had stated, better than them?"

"Precisely."

Nakano looked interested for once, it seems she's intending to do it.

"Alright, I'll do it."

Good. It seems I would need a song for the event, something really, really epic.

"You're a jazz player, I'm sure you'd have no trouble playing blues." Jazz is a bit similar to blues, though jazz is like the 'happy' version of blues.

"I can do that, don't worry." She said confidently.

Now I need a certain someone to teach her…

The person I needed went inside, with a bit of his energy left, he perked up as he saw the kohai.

"Yo, Azusa, Hiromi." Yuuki threw his bag next to mine, then threw his body to the bench, disappearing from our sight.

"Yuuki, can you do 'Texas Flood'?" I asked my old friend.

"Smoothly and awesomely, why?"

"I want you to teach Nakano."

Yuuki sat up with haste, visible to our sights once again. A look of interest planted clearly on his face.

"With pleasure."

"How hard is the song?" Nakano didn't know the piece, and was rather curious about it.

"A bit hard, but I'm sure you can do it!" Yuuki cheered the girl up.

"Alright, let's do this, Yuuki-senpai!"

And so, arranged behind the backs of the others, Yuuki went to Nakano's house almost every day to teach her one of SRV's bests.

* * *

><p><strong>Untold Story #5: The Most Nerve-wrecking Moment in my Life<strong>

"So, who do you live with, Nakano?"

"Both of my parents."

"You're the only child?"

"Yes, I don't have any siblings."

After the club activities ended for the day, I walked side by side with Azusa for her guitar lessons. I guess I owe you one, Hiromi. I never thought I would be teaching her of all people.

"Are they home? Your parents, I mean." I turned my head to the twin ponytailed girl. I can't help but notice an anxious look on her face, for what reason, I know not.

"Yeah, they're taking a day off."

Oh man, her parents' attendance can't be timelier. They say that a man's love life depends on the parents of the woman. Let's just hope luck is on my side today.

We stood in front of the Nakano residence after a couple of minutes walking. And now, for the moment of truth…

Azusa opened the house without requiring a key. As we walked inside, the sight of both of her parents were seen relaxing in the living room. The building is just a standard Japanese house, not too fancy or shabby. Actually, describing the house is one of my methods to distract myself from this anxiousness.

"Ah, might you be…" Her mother stood up, looking surprised.

"Yes, Mom, he's the one." Azusa muttered, sighing as she hung her head.

"Uh…" I was at lost, I don't know what the hell these two are talking about.

"You are Tanaka Yuuki, right? THE Tanaka Yuuki?" Azusa's mother approached me with haste and excitement, leaving me rather bewildered.

"Umm… I am Tanaka Yuuki, pleased to meet you, Mrs. Nakano." I bowed, not knowing what else to do.

"No, no, no, don't be so formal! Come on, would you like a drink? We also have cookies!" She exclaimed whilst dragging me further inside the house. Wait, wait, wait! Explain everything to me before dragging me around, I'm pretty damn confused here!

Azusa's father stood up, putting down the newspaper he had read. With a friendly smile, he shook my hand. Though he's older than me, he's actually a few centimeters shorter than me.

"You saved our daughter before, I cannot thank you enough for what you had done." He stated, shaking a bit too hard, I noted.

Ah, I see. So they knew of my actions the night Azusa almost got robbed. I turned my head to the eccentric parents' daughter, Azusa just shrugged with a smile.

"It's uh- it's nothing, sir. Ahahaha..." I managed to mutter. It feels really, really awkward being in this kind of situation.

"Now, now, let's have a chat, shall we? I really want to know more of you, Tanaka-kun." Mr. Nakano gestured me towards the living room.

I don't really want to increase my anxiousness even further, but the priority stands. I have to oblige, knowing it's a request that came from the elderly.

I took a seat on a couch, with Azusa by my side. Both of the parents were in the kitchen, I assume they were preparing something for me.

"Were your parents always like that?" I asked Azusa with a low voice.

"Yes, they're always eccentric. Let me guess, you don't think I'm their daughter." She replied.

"You guessed it right. You're always the serious one, unlike your parents."

"Well, believe it or not, I'm genuinely their daughter."

I don't doubt that, their appearance looked alike. The mother was a bit of a gentle kind woman, with an always smiling, slightly wrinkled face, and a long brown hair keeping up its color. It's her eyes that descended to Azusa, a pair of innocent eyes like those of a cat, amplifying her gentleness in its own way.

Azusa's father was, I shall say, a look alike of Clark Kent. An old 60s thick glasses, a medium length, black colored clean cut hairstyle. And too add another resemblance, his figure was also slightly built. I might buy him a Superman costume for his birthday present sometime.

"But really, you didn't have to tell them of my actions that night." I stated.

"I can't help it! My parents deserve to know of that life-threatening situation and how I got out of it!"

"Sorry for the wait, Tanaka-chan! Here's your tea, and have some cookies!" Mrs. Nakano came out of the kitchen, accompanied by her husband carrying a tray of cups of tea and a bowl of cookies.

What's with that honorific, I've never, in my life, dreamt of being called with the honorific 'chan'.

"You don't have to do this, really." I said to them.

"Oh, don't worry about it! Come on, have some!"

I took a bite out of the delicious looking cookie. Not just the looks, the taste was also fantastic. A bit too sweet for my tastes, but I guess it's just the Nakano household having a sweet tooth.

"This is good!" I exclaimed while munching. I know it's not polite and all, but I have a principle to keep a hold of my character whatever the event is. "But for me, this is too sweet. Reduce the amount of sugar, and it'll be golden." I said after swallowing.

A friend of mine from Osaka told me that to win your crush's mother's heart, is to compliment her cooking and find a flaw to correct. It worked like a charm, for the older woman was rather amused by my 'skills' in tasting stuff.

"Is that so? Okay, I'll remember that! You're pretty good, Tanaka-chan!" She said with a smile.

Bingo.

"So, Tanaka-kun, who do you live with?" Mr. Nakano started the 'interview' (or interrogation, for those who were paranoid enough).

"Both of my parents, I guess you could say I'm living a standard carefree student life." I answered.

"What do they do for a living?"

"Ma's a housewife, and Pop's just an office worker."

"I see. Oh, I heard you're a great singer." He rested his elbows on the sofa's arms, glancing at his daughter with a soft, elderly smile.

"I'm not really…" I laughed nervously.

"Oh, don't lie to us, Tanaka-chan! Azusa-chan told us about you almost everyday!" The mother spoke.

"Really…" I turned my head to Azusa, who was hiding her face by looking in a random direction. "Well," I turned my head back to her parents. "I guess you could say I'm a decent singer."

"We'd love to hear it sometimes!"

I hope you didn't mean those words. If I were to sing in front of them, there's a high chance of me screwing up.

"Sometimes, then."

The conversation continued like a stream of a river, flowing beautifully without any debris blocking its way. I'm rather relieved by that, knowing Azusa's parents approved of me.

What's bugging my mind is the fact that Azusa talked about me almost everyday, as stated by her mother. Why would she do that? Is she interested in me? If so, in what way? Just friends? Love?

Ah, hell. I don't think stacking up my mind with such things will do me any good. I just needed to let the grand stream of time took over, and find out about it eventually.


	40. Worry Not, Little Girl

**Author's Note: I found a fanfic similar to mine in the K-ON! page. I must say, it's rather... amusing. Even the summary and the chapters are similar.**

**Oh, well. On to the next chapter!**

* * *

><p>Summer vacation is about to start. With this piece of information, the club's getting a bit busy arranging stuffs for the training camp. I've confirmed with Yuuki, that Nakano got the song ready after a few days of practice.<p>

"But seriously, she's one hell of a guitarist."

It was lunch break. It's like a tradition for Yuuki, Kathy, and me to go up to the rooftop after the bell rang. Said tradition was ruined, due to the overly hot air outside caused by the seemingly angry sun. Rather than feeling the sun's wrath, we decided to just sit here in class.

"Both of her parents are musicians, it's not a surprise she's pretty talented." I said, emptying the contents of the cheap cardboard box bought from the vending machine.

Yuuki chuckled, his expression told me he remembered something. "Speaking of her parents, I met them on the first day of her training."

"Really? How did it go?" Kathy was interested.

"Pretty smooth. Apparently, they knew of my heroic actions the night she almost got robbed." The happy man turned his head towards me with a smirk. "And your name wasn't even mentioned, it seems Azusa told the tale wrongly."

"I could care less." I shrugged. It felt better if a good deed is not spread out to others. For some reason, it made me more heroic.

"Tell me more about her parents, Tanaka." Kathy pried further.

"Strangely, they're pretty different from her. How do I say this… Her father looks like Superman and her mother acts like someone who is currently heading this way." Yuuki stated, taking a glance towards my back.

"Yo, fellow classmates! What are you guys talking about?" Tainaka jumped to our group, eccentric as ever.

"About how you and Chihaya would make a great couple." Yuuki said with a poker face.

A fist launched towards his face, though two years of matrial arts training made the man deflect it easily.

"Seriously, stop joking around." Tainaka was rather flustered.

"Hey everyone." Yui appeared behind my back, looking as cheerful as usual.

"Hey, Yui. Where have you been?" Kathy greeted the airhead.

"Ricchan and I just asked Sawa-chan to come for the training camp, but she's not interested." She stated, taking a seat beside me.

"That's unusual. Why?"

"I don't know, maybe about hurting her pride as an adult or something." Tainaka stated.

"What a load of crap." I muttered.

"By the way, Tanaka-kun, you seem happier than usual. Did something happen?" Yui asked Yuuki.

The happy man smiled to his widest. "I guess you could say something just happened a few days ago which made my fate sealed."

"That's too much exaggeration." Kathy muttered, putting up a facepalm.

"So what happened?" Tainaka was curious as a cat.

"You'll know… soon."

"How mysterious." The tomboy muttered sarcastically.

Out of nowhere, Kotobuki and Tanigawa appeared and joined us. They were like goddamn ninjas. Not long after, Akiyama visited the class.

"So how's it gonna be? The training camp, I mean." Kathy asked the details of the trip.

"Like last year, we're going to stay at Mugi's villa." Akiyama explained.

"For how long?"

"We're staying for 4 days and 3 nights." Tanigawa chirped in. "Though it's only a small portion of our summer vacation, it should be enough for us to practice."

"The villa isn't that big, so we have to make do." Kotobuki stated apologetically.

You liar. Even your smallest villa is enormous. Why don't you just tell the club the villa's a pretty damn huge, luxurious place rather than committing a sin by lying to us?

"How do we get there?" Kathy demanded even more details.

All heads turned to me.

"I don't mind, but there are three extra people this time. It's gonna be a bit of a tight fit." I glanced at Kathy and Yuuki.

"I heard Chihaya got a bike? Why don't you go with him, Ricchan?" Kathy suggested.

Tainaka put up a hand to her chin, deep in thought. "Seems fun! I've always wanted to ride a cool bike!" She exclaimed whilst nodding her head in excitement.

"So, Yui and I in the front, Kotobuki, Nakano, Yuuki and Kathy in the middle, Akiyama and Tanigawa in the back. Agreed?"

"Agreed." The club voiced simultaneously.

The time for the departure arrived. I've packed all the necessary things for the trip. Clothes, guitar, toiletries, survival knife, and a flint. I've a thought of bringing a gun, but it won't be necessary. I don't think there'll be a terrorist attack in the peaceful countryside. Ready to go, I threw my luggage to the carrier.

Like last year, I told the club to assemble at 6 am sharp. The time is now 5:30, and the sky is still a bit dark. I squatted in front of my house, with a lit cigarette between my index and middle fingers. The others should be here anytime.

Yui appeared shortly after, looking as fresh as ever. It still bugs me how she could get up early for the trip, and not for school. This girl's full of mysteries.

"Hey, Hiromi-kun." She greeted as she approached me.

"Yo." I greeted back, putting out my smoke.

"Where are the others?"

"Not here yet. You're the first."

"That's unexpected… I usually end up the latest!"

Good, at least you're self-conscious.

She sat beside me with a smile full of excitement. Somehow it makes me feel at ease, just by seeing her happy like this. No sounds were heard other than the wind in this dead of the morning, and the atmosphere looks like a land of the dead.

"Time really flies huh, Hiromi-kun." Yui broke the silence.

"What was that supposed to mean?"

"I mean, it's seems like yesterday we went on a training camp. Without me realizing, it's been a year already." She looked down to the ground, somehow looking pretty sad. "Sometimes I wonder when all of this ended, and we get separated… I don't know, just thinking about it makes me kind of… scared." Yui buried her face on her knees, like on the verge of crying.

I don't want her to be like this. I have to do something. "A man once said: 'It's the future that's important'." I started. "Well, whoever said that deserves a punch to the throat. It's not the future we should think about, it's right now, the present. If we kept thinking ahead, we would be blinded with negative and/or positive assumptions. There's no use dreaming, what we should do is make an improvement right here and right now, and that'll surely affect the future." I placed my hand on her head to calm her down. "So don't worry about us getting separated, it's still a long way to go. Sure the time may come when you least expect it, but I'm sure you won't feel a single bit of regret if you have fun in this present day."

Yui turned her head to me, looking pretty surprised. It might be something out of the ordinary for me to say stuff like that, like a sight of an alien in the solid grounds of the earth. Oh, well, if she gets the point, that's a huge relief for me.

Like a rotten tree being blasted away with an avalanche, the worry on her face turned to happiness once again. It was a sight I enjoy the most, the smiling face of this peculiar girl is like a shed of light in the void space of darkness.

"You really are something else, Hiromi-kun." She stated as she jumped to me, engaging in yet another one of her hugs.

I've grown rather accustomed to this contact, and I know it's not an easy job to get her off. I have no other option than to stay still and hang on for dear life.

"I never imagined you would have a thought like that." I stated, feeling the warmth of her body against me.

"Well, I also have my worries, y'know."

Huh, really. I thought she's just a happy-go-lucky girl without any problems whatsoever. Maybe I'm wrong all this time.

"If you have any problems at all, just let me know." That wasn't my brain who told me to speak those words. Somehow my gut feeling told me to, and I obliged.

"You got it!" exclaimed Yui.

The sound of a certain engine caught our attention. I glanced to my right, and found a sight of a man with a black leather jacket and a helmet speeding our way. If he wore a Kamen Rider costume, he might be good enough to make a series of his own.

The Triumph stopped in front of us, and the rider got off his steel horse. Taking his helmet off reveals a peach colored, messy hair, complete with the sarcastic face I could never forget.

"What the hell are you two doing, all lovey dovey in this hour?" Chihaya said as he took a glance at Yui, who was still clinging at me.

"Shut up." I retorted.

"Alright, joking aside, I think I'll cook breakfast, so when the others arrive, they won't have to wait for it." He stated as he took off his jacket.

"You do that, I'll wait for the others." I said.

"Roger."

Not long after Chihaya went inside, Akiyama and Tanigawa appeared. Yui let go of me eventually, making me able to breathe normally once more.

"Good morning, Yamamoto-san, Hirasawa-san." The gentleman greeted without losing his trademark smile.

"Morin'." I greeted back.

"Whoa, you're early, Yui." Akiyama was rather surprised, despite the fact that Yui was also early the previous year.

"Yeah, I'm just excited." Rubbing her head, Yui answered with a bit of a nervous tone.

I took care of their luggage while Akiyama stood beside Yui, waiting for the others. Tanigawa was rather interested in Chihaya's shiny motorcycle, he inspected it closely, muttering the specs of the steel horse. It seems this guy is quite into bikes, huh.

A few small talks later, Yuuki and Nakano greeted us.

"Yo, sorry for being late." My old friend said to the group.

"You're not. And we're still three members short." I stated.

I took both Nakano's and Yuuki's luggage and loaded them in. God bless the 7-seater for its spacious room.

The rest of the club was seen from afar after a bit of waiting. Kathy, Kotobuki and Tainaka were walking alongside each other with high spirits.

"You're guys are late." Akiyama stated, putting a hand to her hip. The trio rubbed their heads with apologetic looks.

"No big deal, they're only late for 1 minute and 22 seconds." I said as I took yet another glance at my watch.

"You sound like a goddamn soldier." Yuuki commented.

"I am a son of one." I said plainly.

Chihaya appeared from inside, drying his hands with a towel. "Everybody's here? Let's eat." He then gestured us to come inside.

I told the club to go on ahead, knowing I have to make some preparations for the car. Like last year, Kotobuki stayed behind just to bug me.

"Yui-chan is early again this year." She stated, leaning against the black Impala that helped me rescue her not long ago.

"Your point?" I was a bit annoyed, I knew she have something to tell me, but didn't want to state it directly.

"Ah, I guess it's too early for you to know. But sometimes in the future, you'll get my point, Yamamoto-kun." She said as she walked inside.

"Whatever."

I don't even want to think about it. Tiring my mind with unimportant thoughts is the last thing I want to do in the summer time. After I started the engine to let it heat up, I went inside to join the others.

The breakfast was simple: sandwiches of various fillings. Delicious and healthy, a sandwich is like a gift from heaven.

"Okay, so we're ready to go." Chihaya clapped his hands together.

"Right, let's hit the road." I walked outside with the others following.

"Like last year, you're point man, Hiromi."

"Got it. Try not to fall behind."

"With my Triumph?" The chef scoffed. "I'll overrun your crappy 7-seater any day."

I ignored the statement and went inside the car, feeling the comfy seat yet once again.

"Oi, will we really fit in here?" Kathy asked me, looking at the middle seat.

"Won't know if you don't try."

Akiyama and Tanigawa got in, filling the back seat with almost no space left. It seems the four didn't have any choice.

"Alright, get on, Yuuki-senpai!" Nakano said after she's comfortably seated inside with Kathy and Kotobuki beside her.

Yuuki got only a half of his body inside, disabling him from closing the door.

"Damn it."

"What should we do?" Nakano was a bit worried.

"As a last resort, you could sit on Yuuki's lap, Nakano." I said to them.

"What!" Yuuki and Nakano exclaimed simultaneously. "No way!" Blushing a bit too furiously, the kohai shook her head no.

"Why not on one of the girls' lap?" Akiyama questioned.

"The villa is a few hours away from here, they don't have the strength to hold her." I explained to the bassist. Though Kathy might be strong enough, she just kept quiet with a menacing smile on her face. I just knew what's on her mind right know, and I don't want to spell it out. "If you don't want to, then one of us will be taking the train. There are two options, your call, Nakano." I stated.

The twin ponytailed girl covered her face, making us unable to read her expression. After a sigh of defeat, she agreed to do so.

"Alright…" She muttered weakly.

Once again, the trip to the (huge) villa owned by the Kotobuki family started.


	41. The Warmth of the Sun

**Author's Note: Sorry for the late update! I was sick for a few days, and was unable to think clearly due to the fever (though it's nothing serious, it's just annoying).**

**Anyways, I'll make up by writing this long chapter. Enjoy it!**

**Update: 04/09/2011 1:26 AM WIB: Fixed a few minor mistakes.**

**Update2: 05/09/2011 5:00 PM WIB: Fixed yet another minor mistake. I need a gallon of coffee...  
><strong>

* * *

><p><em>Because I have you, because I have tomorrow<br>because I can't live on all alone  
>I feel you so close by me, I guess that's love<em>

_Because you know how much pain tears can bring_  
><em>I want to find a smile in your transparent eyes<em>  
><em>as I search for a definite meaning in them<em>

"Wow, I never thought you're into this kind of music, Hiromi." Yuuki commented on the audio that came out of the speakers.

The song is 'Sore ga, Ai deshou' (I guess that's love), the opening of my all-time favorite spin-off of an anime called 'Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu'.

"Yeah, I know. I got really addicted to the anime."

I've convinced myself that all the music today is mostly crap. But as I listened to it over and over again, I somehow fell in love with it. I guess this is a lesson for me that not all of the new music is bad.

"And I can't even imagine you watching the series while laughing your ass off." Kathy stated.

Well, the image of me laughing uncontrollably while watching the anime sure is something really disturbing for the club. But that's the truth, actually. The series is too funny to not laugh at.

I took a glance of the rear view mirror to see the club's status.

Akiyama and Tanigawa were looking as happy as ever, holding hands in the back of the car like a couple that just got married, somehow the aura around them is like full of joy and delight. Kathy and Kotobuki were just sitting there, smiling their usual smile, while Yuuki was looking rather happy with a blushing Nakano sitting on his lap.

"Need a stop?" I asked the group.

"If it's alright, I need to use the bathroom." Akiyama chirped in.

"Got it." I opened the window to signal Chihaya. Letting out my right arm, I feel the wind blowing against it. I spread open my hand, then clenched it into a fist. I saw Chihaya gave me the 'affirmative' sign, then I closed the window.

"I wonder how Ricchan is doing…" Yui echoed.

"She might be having a blast." Kathy stated.

"From the looks of it, yeah, she might be." Yuuki voiced, looking back at the duo on the Triumph.

"Tainaka sure is something else." I said out of the blue.

"What do you mean?" Akiyama was rather curious of her best friend.

"Chihaya, as you guys know, is rude as heck to all people. Every woman he insulted ended up crying, slapping him, or running away, or all of the mentioned in that order." I started my speech. "Tainaka didn't, she fought back. And somehow that girl managed to change the guy, he didn't speak rudely to other people as of late."

"Though his sarcasm still exists." Kathy scoffed.

"Yeah, that's just his born personality." I said. "I can't seem to tell how Tainaka managed to alter his character easily."

"Well, my observations told me that she didn't do that on purpose." The foreigner cleared her throat.

"So she didn't even notice she's changing someone?" I asked.

"Yep. Somehow Ricchan's toughness yields an impact to Chihaya's feelings. He realized that women aren't that weak, and should be treated with respect." Kathy explained the mystery easily.

"I see… interesting."

We reached the rest area after the conversation. It wasn't really crowded, since it's a bit early in the morning. People would prefer to go out on the afternoon, where the sun strikes at its fullest. For what reason, I don't know.

Akiyama scurried away to the bathroom, accompanied with Nakano and Kotobuki. The rest of us enjoyed a can of juice in the drink corner.

"You alright?" I asked Yuuki, who was sitting quite far from the girls.

"Yeah, I'm good." He answered, taking a swig of his iced tea.

"Replenish your energy, we're still an hour away."

"Don't worry, I've much more stamina than anyone else."

"I know that, but don't overdo it."

Confidence is a good thing, but if too much, it'll lead you to disaster. I guess Yuuki is clever enough to not overload his confidence, so I left him and joined the others.

I sat down beside Tanigawa, who was a bit lonely without his girlfriend (though they're only a few meters away, and only separated by the thin walls of the public bathroom).

"Are you not tired, Yamamoto-san?" asked he.

"No, I've gotten used to long trips like this." I answered.

"Ah, your father often took you out?"

"Yeah, we usually went far away to a quiet place. Though the purpose of the getaway is to train me in marksmanship and firearms knowledge, it's not possible to shoot guns in the city." I explained to the smiling man, who was pretty amazed after hearing that.

"Then you have learned about firearms since grade school, am I correct?"

"You are."

"I'm amazed, Yamamoto-san. I'm quite sure there is no one other than you who learned about guns in grade school."

"Yeah, I thought so, too."

Sometimes I wondered how I got myself in this club in the first place. I'm not an ordinary human, I shoot guns at trees when the others threw pebbles at cans, I sawed the barrel of a 12-gauge when everyone made paper crafts. Somehow I ended up here of all places, and I'm rather thankful to have an ordinary life of a student. Following my father's footsteps is the last thing I want to do. Going out to the battlefield, the sounds of gunshots and explosions as constant as crickets in the night, I don't think I could handle all of that.

"Be thankful of what you have right now, they may disappear when you least expect it." Tanigawa recited. "It's a good saying, though a bit clichéd." He turned his head to me and pointed an imaginary revolver to my eyes.

"I'll keep that in mind." I said, smiling at his advice.

"Hey, sorry for the wait." Akiyama appeared behind us along with Kotobuki and Nakano.

"Hey, would you girls like a drink?" Tanigawa stood up, offering his seat. Reflexively, I followed his act.

"If you don't mind, I'll have a can of iced tea, Kaito-kun." Akiyama took Tanigawa's previous seat, thanking him with a peck on the cheek.

"You two?" The gentleman turned his head to Kotobuki and Nakano, who were already seated beside Akiyama.

"I'll have the same." Kotobuki stated

"Me too." Nakano copied.

"Just a moment." Tanigawa walked towards the vending machine with me following.

The salty sea breeze can be felt in this place, though it's still a bit far from our destination. To my left and right are empty plastic chairs, arranged neatly around small tables. The appearance of the chairs told me that it's old enough to break some time in the future. If a person with an obscure weight were to sit down, no doubt the plastic-based chair will be snapped like an old, rotten, dead twig.

"Somehow I love helping the opposite gender, it feels as if it's a task for us men since we were born." The gentleman said as he crouched down to grab the cans.

"It's only natural for us to be helpful. Women in general have weaker physical strength, unlike us guys." I helped him by grabbing one can of iced tea.

"The strong should help the weak." Tanigawa stated as we walked back to the girls, two cans in his hands. "It's only simple logic. Though, not all women are weak." He shifted his eyes to Kathy, who was chatting away with the girls.

"Yeah, but still, we have to lend our hand to them. It's some kind of an unspoken rule."

We handed the drinks to the girls, earning small thanks from the three. The air is a scorcher at this time of day, it was as if we were ants being burned with sunlight focused with a magnifying glass.

A few minutes of resting, we're back on the road with recuperated energy. The air inside the car is well-conditioned, but I'm a bit worried of Chihaya and Tainaka, who has only the wind to keep them cool. In this weather, it's not a rarity for someone to get a heat stroke.

Though a bit concerned, I'm sure Chihaya knows his limits, as well as Tainaka. He would signal me if he needed a rest, or a drink.

"Look! It's the ocean!"

Yui's announcement made us turn our heads to the right, where the calm, deep blue ocean lies. The image of summer for youths, the sea, is quite a wonder for us human beings. The vast amount of water, with its own population of living beings deep inside it, surely it's rather a marvelous sight for everyone.

I opened my window, followed by everyone else in the car. The salty breeze of the sea can be felt yet again. It's been too long since this particular scent reached my nostrils, I'll be sure to cherish it.

After thirty minutes of the ocean view, we reached the Kotobuki property in a bit of a weary state.

"You girls go on, we'll take care of the stuffs." I said after getting off the car.

Like I had expected, the villa's a goddamn monster. It's practically bigger than last year's, and the design is much more luxurious. Ah, the terrace is a good place to have a smoke and a beer, I think I'll be spending most of my time there.

Chihaya's bike appeared not long after our arrival. Taking off his helmet, he shuts the engine off and got off his ride after Tainaka.

"That was fun, Chihaya!" Tainaka exclaimed.

"Of course it was, not a penny was wasted in this beauty." He tapped the fuel tank of the Triumph gently, looking pretty content due to Tainaka's satisfaction.

"If you're done showing off that steel horse, let's get the luggage inside." Yuuki said with an annoyed look.

"Alright, alright, you're just jealous." The chef retorted, catching the first luggage Yuuki tossed.

"The heat could make your work a lot harder, isn't it?" voiced Tanigawa, two duffle bags in each of his hands as he walked by my side.

"Yeah, it could possibly kill you, even. As we moved, we sweat. And in this heat, we're sweating even faster than usual, leading to dehydration." Yet another habit of mine, is to mutter some random facts I learned from various sources to someone.

Usually, people would be annoyed hearing me blabbering like a professor teaching his students. But Tanigawa is a man who always wanted to learn new stuff, and he appreciated any info that he received.

"With that in mind, we should not push ourselves beyond our limits, then." He concluded.

"Right. If you're feeling tired, just drink a lot of water, it should replenish your lost energy effectively."

We walked back and forth in the scorching heat to transport the luggage of the members. Thankfully, none of us got a heat stroke. It seems the sun in Japan isn't strong enough to knock us out. The Sahara desert, on the other hand, could knock us out almost instantly.

As I walked inside to get some shade, I saw a scenario that I expected to occur after the arrival.

Tainaka and Yui went blasting away with their swimsuits, leaving an irritated Akiyama to stop them from getting to the beach. By some miracle, they listened to the bassist, and started to weigh on their options. Chihaya was already on the couch, lying like a dead body ready to be buried.

"Casting a vote would be ideal in this kind of situation." I suggested.

"Who wants to play, raise your hand!" Tainaka exclaimed, thrusting her hand high into the air along with Yui.

"I will not participate in the voting then, since either way is fine with me." Tanigawa stated.

"Ditto." I agreed.

"Tritto." Kathy followed.

"Uh, quatro?" Yuuki echoed.

"Then I want to practice first!" Akiyama raised her hand simultaneously with Nakano.

All heads turned to Kotobuki, who will be the one that casts the deciding vote for the group.

"I want to play." She said in a calm manner with her usual smile.

And so, like last year, the club played in the beach with their swimsuits on.

"You're not gonna play, Nakano?" I asked the kohai, who looked pretty disappointed. It's just her, Kotobuki and me in the mattress, while the others were busy playing beach volleyball. Even Akiyama, who voted to practice before playing, got lost in the fun.

"No." came the short answer.

"Your choice." I said, lighting a cigarette far away from both of the girls.

Despite a bit clichéd for a beach activity, volleyball is a good way to train your precision, reflexes, and stamina. All sports are fun and beneficial for your body, though it can get a bit too tiring sometimes.

Turning towards Nakano, Yuuki cupped his hands over his mouth and shouted, "Come on, Azusa! Don't waste your time like that smoking maniac right there, let's play!"

I'm not a smoking maniac.

"I don't really want to…" Nakano muttered, still disappointed of the results of the vote.

"Well, all joking aside, he really wants you to participate." I said to the twin ponytailed girl.

"Come again?" turning her head to me, Nakano held a confused expression on her face.

"That guy can be weird sometimes. He hides his true feelings with fake expressions which even I couldn't break at times." I told Yuuki's personality to her. "He might sound like he's only trying to cheer you up. But the truth is, he really wants you to have fun during this trip."

Nakano weighed on her options, then suddenly got up and ran to the group. She played with the others in a bit of hesitation at first, then got lost in joy.

"Good job, Yamamoto-kun." Kotobuki said to me with her usual smile as she locked her sight at the playing members.

"What was that supposed to mean?"

"You've just helped them develop their relationship even further. It's only a matter of time before one of them confesses their feelings."

I sighed, putting out my nearly-done smoke. "Their relationship is none of my concern, I'm just doing my job as a friend."

"Either way, you're doing a good job. You should be proud of yourself."

If I survived the dense Sumatran jungles without anything other than a knife, then I would be proud. But helping decipher a person's true intentions is something I do almost everyday, I don't think it's something to be proud of.

Having nothing else to do, I joined the group in playing volleyball, and never missed a single hit of the ball. My precision is enhanced both by blood and training, so I have no trouble in hitting something with my hands.

After the beach volleyball, we played in the water for quite some time, then walked around the rocks to find a wall full of barnacles.

"Mio-senpai, have you heard the story of the boy with the barnacles?" Nakano innocently asked her senior.

As a reaction, Akiyama covered her ears and ran preposterously fast towards her boyfriend, cowering in his arms. Tanigawa just smiled and comforted her. From afar, Tainaka gave Nakano a seal of approval.

"She's like that." I said to the kohai. "Scared of every story that includes gore, ghosts and disgusting stuffs." I looked at the wall of barnacles that stood strong in front of me. "Though I don't get it, what is scary about these things? A few of them are edible, and it could save your life. And in Spain and Portugal, the goose barnacle is a delicacy."

Nakano stared at me with confusion, seems to be having a hard time to digest the information.

"Alright, enough of your blabbering." Kathy tapped my shoulder as she appeared.

"I'm just sharing my knowledge in survival techniques." I stated.

We played and played 'til the sun decided to call it a day, and started moving to the other side of the earth. With an exhausted body, we strode our legs back to the villa. After a nice warm bath, the club scattered around the living room, lying down lazily with no intentions to practice at all.

It's time to commence my plan. I signaled Nakano along with Yuuki to head to the studio quietly. They nodded their heads and snuck towards the said location with light feet.

"Alright, let's do this." I stated as we were inside. Nakano set up her Fender, while Yuuki borrowed Tanigawa's bass. The plan is for him to sing while playing the bass, followed with Nakano in the guitar, and me the drums.

I sat down on the stool, grabbing the sticks. After Nakano was done with her tuning, she nodded to me.

"Turn it up!" Yuuki shouted as I kick off the song with the drums.

The glorious sound of a Fender Mustang is something I'm really envious of. It's really suitable for any kinds of music, and is pretty comfortable to play. With this booming sound of a huge, expensive amplifier, I'm sure the club outside could hear it well.

_Well it's floodin' down in Texas  
>All of the telephone lines are down<br>Well it's floodin' down in Texas  
>All of the telephone lines are down<br>And I've been tryin' to call my baby  
>Lord and I can't get a single sound<em>

Surely, Yuuki's voice is pretty good for blues. As long as you have a strong throat, I believe you could sing the blues nicely.

Nakano was like a gifted angel of guitar descended down to earth. She's the best guitarist I've ever seen directly in front of my eyes. And that's not an overstatement, mind you.

_Well dark clouds are rollin' in...Man I'm standin' out in the rain  
>Well dark clouds are rollin' in...Man I'm standin' out in the rain<br>Yeah flood water keep a rollin'...Man it's about to drive poor me insane_

_Well I'm leavin' you baby...Lord and I'm goin' back home to stay_  
><em>Well I'm leavin' you baby...Lord and I'm goin' back home to stay<em>

I couldn't hear a single sound coming from outside, due to the loud noise of the guitar and the drums. But I'm pretty damn sure behind that door are the others, listening to us.

_Well back home ain't no floods and tornados...Baby the sun shines on me every day_

With a last riff, the song ended beautifully. Yuuki clapped his hands, amazed by the kohai's performance.

"Amazing, just amazing, Azusa." I don't know if it was an act of reflex or something, but Yuuki hugged the kohai pretty tightly with a happy look on his face.

"Th-thank you, Yuuki-senpai." Nakano was flustered, her face started to turn red.

Oh great, now you guys are making me feel awkward. I need to get out of here stealthily like a ninja.

Just as I stood up, the door opened. The club came barging in one by one, each grabbing their instruments. I tossed the sticks to Tainaka, who caught it gracefully. Without a word muttered, they were ready to start the practice session.

"Let's start with 'Fuwa Fuwa Time'. One, two, three!"

My plan worked out like magic, the band started the song without much of a delay. Seeing I don't need to participate, I took the chance to relax on the sofa provided in the room, observing the performance of the club.

This is one of the mysteries I can't seem to figure out. The club's frequency of practice is on the level of 'rarely'. And yet, here they are playing in perfect sync and melody. It was as if they were possessed by some kind of ghost that made them play well.

People often call this 'The Power of Friendship'. No matter how cheesy that sounds, it might be the answer to this ridiculous mystery. If a band consists of members who are not having a good relationship with each other, they are bound to be falling apart. The members of the light music club are all good people, they don't fight that easily, and they produce intimacy quite easily with each other. Yeah, I believe the so-called 'Power of Friendship' is the reason they are playing in perfect harmony.

After the song ended, I gave them a round of applause. They were in perfect sync, and it was good for the ears.

"You might want to thank a certain someone for bringing you guys to practice like this." I said to the club.

All heads turned to Nakano. With a smile on their lips, the girls gave the kohai a hug.

"Wait, wait, it's not me who planned this!" Nakano exclaimed in the midst of the chaos.

Time to get out of here.

I stood up and walked my way out with haste and silence. Feeling I need a smoke, I walked to the terrace.

A familiar peach haired man greeted my sight as the night breeze blew against me. It seems he was out just then, he carried a few plastic bags from the convenience store nearby.

"The hell have you been?" I asked just to make sure.

"Since there are no ingredients in the fridge this time, I decided to buy them." He explained.

The sarcastic man took a seat on one of the chairs provided. I offered him my share of smoke, to which he responded with an answer that caught me by surprise.

"I'm quitting."

Never once I've thought this guy of all people would stop smoking. Have the joy in life finally catching up with him?

"I'm surprised, frankly." I said as I lit myself the cancer stick.

"I know you are. I don't know, I just don't feel like it all of a sudden." He explained. "It's like an unknown power blocked me from my desires to smoke."

That was a bit exaggeration. "Well, that's great, actually. Nothing good can be gained from this piece of disease carrier." I said, inspecting the piece of cigarette I held.

"Yeah, I'll do my best not to smoke again."

I feel happy for him, to tell you the truth. The chemical in a cigarette is so addicting that it's rather hard to stop smoking. I've a thought to quit once, but my willpower is too weak. I can't survive a day without a dose of nicotine.

"Where is the rest of the gang?" Chihaya asked me.

"Practice. Somehow my plan worked like magic."

"Really…"

The crickets took over the silence after he said those words. Somehow I have a feeling he's about to tell me something.

"Say, Hiromi…"

"Yeah?"

"Do you believe a thing such as 'love' exists?"

What?

"Excuse me?" I was a bit taken aback by that question. I never thought this guy would ask such a thing.

"Nevermind, you're too naïve. Forget that question." He shrugged away the conversation like it was nothing.

Whatever.

"So, what's for dinner?" I asked, changing the subject.

"I spotted a barbecue grill over yonder." He pointed to the said device. "I figured hamburger would be nice in the night."

"Good idea. Should we start?"

"Let's go."

We started making the minced meat into patties, and prepared various ingredients for the side dish. After a few seconds of shaping, the rest of the club came out.

"Woah! Hamburger!" Tainaka exclaimed, running up to the chef.

"You act like you've never seen a minced meat in your life." Chihaya said coldly.

"I'm excited because it's my favorite dish! Whoever thought of this idea deserves a hug!"

Yuuki, Kathy and I snickered in unison, while Chihaya hid his face. Tainaka was confused enough that she tilted her head to a perfect 90°.

"Anyways, let's help." Kathy stated, grabbing her sides whilst laughing a bit uncontrollably, confusing the other members even further. This woman and Yuuki could easily know who came up with the idea for dinner, since Chihaya's favorite food is hamburger.

"Shall we make rice balls?" Akiyama suggested.

"Alright, let's do that."

Tanigawa and Yuuki helped starting the fire (the grill is charcoal powered), while Akiyama, Nakano and Kathy made rice balls. Yui and Kotobuki prepared the plates and glasses to use.

I was done shaping the patties, so I checked the others. It's kind of like those dating simulators where we could chose who we would talk to (not that I played those games frequently, mind you).

I chose the rice balls team as the first option. Striding my legs to them, I noted the difference in the sizes.

"Yours is bigger, Akiyama." I stated matter-of-factly. Kathy has yet to make one, she's still rolling the rice.

"Ha ha… well, I must have huge hands." Akiyama stated a bit nervously. Is she worried of the size of her hands? I don't see the problem here.

"Having huge hands could be effective in combat. Let's say Tanigawa offended you, just by slapping him, you could teach him a lesson pretty effectively due to the damage caused by your hand."

Akiyama looked at me with a disappointed look, sighing.

"That's not how you cheer a woman up, Yamamoto." Kathy stated.

"I don't see anything wrong with it." I said.

"Make sure you don't disappoint your girlfriend, Tanigawa." Yuuki said to the gentleman. Somehow they heard of the earlier conversation. "You don't want to have a red mark on your cheek."

"I'll keep that in mind." Responded Tanigawa jokingly.

"I will never do that!" Akiyama shouted.

Kathy sighed at the chaos. "Here, I'm done." She then put her rice ball down.

Akiyama was rather surprised by the size of Kathy's creation. It was possibly twice the size of the bassist's. Yep, Kathy has much bigger hands.

"That's why any dude messing around with her would get knocked out in less than 5 seconds." Yuuki stated.

"Oh, shut up, Tanaka. You just ruined my image." Retorted Kathy.

"Oh, and I remember that guy who flirted with you. He ended up hospitalized for a month!" Yuuki added, laughing uncontrollably.

"You toss another random fact of my earlier life, I'll use that fuel and lighter for a 'special' purpose, Tanaka." The blonde hissed.

We continued our preparations for quite some time. Somehow Akiyama was relieved, knowing someone has bigger hands than her. Yet I still don't understand the problem in having a huge pair of hands, Kathy doesn't seem to complain.

The fire is ready, and it's time to grill. The club was having fun, since this is their first time gathering around in a barbecue party. I, too, am a bit happy seeing them like this.

"Don't you wanna eat, Hiromi-kun?"

Yui approached me as I was sitting far away from the group. She was holding a skewer of meat and various veggies.

"I'll eat later. I'm not really hungry." I stated, taking a swig of the can of beer in my hand.

"Okay…"

We stared at the group in silence. They were pretty noisy, even the summer insects were fighting a losing battle in making more sounds.

"Azu-nyan said it was your plan." Breaking the silence, Yui said as she threw the finished skewer away to the trash can.

Is she referring to the earlier practice session? "It is." I clarified.

"Thank you, Hiromi-kun." Yui turned her head to me, revealing one of her sweet smiles.

"I don't deserve it. The one who worked hard is Nakano, she practiced the song in less than a week. And not to mention Yuuki who spent much of his time teaching the kohai." All I did was suggest an idea, and that is worth nothing compared to the duo's hard work.

"But still, you deserve it, even a little." She pushed.

"I do not." I stated bluntly.

Yui leaned closer to my face, staring me as if she's demanding something from me.

"Alright, do what you want." I sighed, feeling defeated.

She returned to her usual self, smiling cheerfully as she kept her face away from mine.

After dinner, Kotobuki decided to pull out fireworks out of goddamn nowhere. I'm not really that interested in fireworks, but huge explosions on the other hand, I wanted to see one.

"Ah, it's dead."

Kotobuki looks disappointed as she commented on her dying firework. The club was rather amused by the lights generated by the mix of various chemicals bind in a stick.

"When it's about to die, you have to cheer them up! They'll last longer that way!" Tainaka instructed the blonde.

I don't see how that affects the lifespan of the materials.

"I see." Kotobuki stated, buying Tainaka's obvious lie.

There sure is something wrong with this club. What can I do about it, I know not. It might be best to leave them be, I'm sure this is one of the unique traits the club has.

Feeling I have no interest in sparkling, crackling, piece of stick, I decided to take pictures with Akiyama's camera.

A special request came from the owner of the camera. I am to take her picture with her boyfriend beside her while the lights of the fireworks illuminate their surroundings. No matter how clichéd that sounds, I have to take the picture, since it's my duty to do so.

"Hey, how about a test of courage?" Tainaka suggested after the photo session.

"We're not grade school students, if you didn't notice." I voiced my opinion in her suggestion.

"Come on, Yamamoto, you're not scared, aren't you?" the president taunted.

"I'm not. I just don't want to wander around the woods at night, there are creepy crawlies, snakes, and you might even get lost." I explained the possible dangers in attending this event.

"Don't sweat the details, let's just go!"

Since I lost in the votes, I decided to wait near the entrance to the woods with a cigarette in my lips. I had instructed the club the basic survival skills needed. If they get lost, shout hard. That way I'll be able to locate them. If that didn't work, light a flame and burn a rubber to produce black smoke, pinpointing their location with the sky as a conductor.

"Are you really worried that they might get lost?"

Turning my head to my companion for the night, I decided to voice out my feelings.

"Not really. It's the snakes I'm worried about. Those guys have zero survival experience." I said to Yuuki.

"Don't worry about it, I'm pretty sure Tanigawa is good enough for thinking logically."

"I guess."

A scream coming from the woods immediately canceled further talking with my companion. Reflexively, Yuuki and I got up and ran towards the source of the sound. It was Akiyama's, I could tell due to her frequent screaming every time she noticed something scary. But this time, it's much louder than usual.

We found Akiyama almost instantly, they haven't got far into the woods. Tanigawa was in front of her, aiming his flashlight to the unknown threat. Kathy was also present, backing up Tanigawa by focusing in defending Akiyama.

Yuuki and I stood beside Tanigawa, seeing nothing but a silhouette of what seems to be a person. No wonder Akiyama got scared, it's like in one of those horror movies, the scene where the ghost would confront the main character.

"Who's there? State your business!" I shouted to the person. It's a woman, it seems. The figure is too small for a man, and that hat she wore is a female summer hat.

"You… guys…" came the weak reply.

"That voice…" I immediately recognized the feminine voice of a certain lunatic.

I took Tanigawa's flashlight and walked closer to the scary-looking woman. As I aimed at her face, it reveals none other than the advisor of the club.

"Sensei? What the hell are you doing here?"

"Hey, Yamamoto-kun." She greeted with a weak smile.

Yamanaka Sawako was dressed in a complete mess of tattered summer dress, complete with a wide brimmed summer hat. I even noticed a heavy luggage she's carrying.

"Don't 'hey' me, let's get you out of here!" I said as I pulled the teacher, supporting her footing.

How the hell she got here, it's out of my imagination. I don't think anyone with a right mind would go out in the dead of night just to visit us.

As we reached the villa, I sat her down on the couch. I advised her to get cleaned, and food will be ready by the time she's done. Yamanaka-sensei agreed to do so, thankfully. Maybe she's just plain tired, usually it's pretty damn hard to instruct her to do something.

I decided to heat up the leftovers from dinner. It's not really respectful to serve leftovers to our teacher, but I guess I have no other choice, there aren't any ingredients left to make something new.

Yamanaka-sensei got out of the bath after I completed the heating up process. She looks a lot fresher now, though still a bit weak due to hunger.

"Eat up, replenish your energy." I said to her. The club was still confused of her sudden arrival.

"Oh my, what a wonderful dinner!" The teacher said before gobbling up the food.

"Is she really your teacher?" Chihaya asked us curiously.

The club nodded as a response, not wanting to let out any word.

"Unbelievable." The chef muttered.

"I heard that, young man!"

The sudden voice stopped Chihaya from commenting any further. Sensei's sense of hearing is something to be proud of, I don't think I'm able to match her.

"So, mind explaining how and why you ended up in the woods?" I started my interrogation.

"I wanted to surprise you all, but I ended up getting lost." She explained like it was nothing.

What the hell was she thinking? The worst that could happen if you get lost is death by hunger or heat stroke in this time of the year. Without the right survival skills, she wouldn't live for a day in the wilderness.

"At least you're safe now." I muttered.

Sensei kept gobbling her food, oblivious of her surroundings. As the moon rises high, we decided to call it a night.

* * *

><p><strong>Untold Story #6: A Midsummer Night's Story<strong>

I need to use the bathroom.

Slowly, I got up from my futon, not wanting to disturb the others. I'm not really sure who's sleeping and who's not, due to the darkness of the room. I assume they all are asleep, as I can hear the snoring of few people.

I crept out of the room and headed to the bathroom. After finishing my business, I walked back to the shared bedroom to get some sleep once again.

A series of sounds stopped me on my tracks, though. It's like a sound of car engines and gunfire. Curious, I headed towards the source, the living room.

A bit scared and anxious, I took a peek out of a corner. I was relieved as I knew the sounds are not real, they are coming from the TV.

"Oh, are we too loud, Azusa-chan?"

I turned my head to the left, greeted by the sight of Mugi-senpai along with Yamamoto-senpai and Tanigawa-senpai. The main keyboardist of the club was the one who held the controller for the game console, and Yamamoto-senpai seems to be eating, while Tanigawa-senpai kept his trademark smiling face as he looked at me.

"No, I'm just awake because I want to use the bathroom." I said as I walked towards them, sitting beside Yamamoto-senpai.

They seem to be playing some sort of an action game, set in the noir period of Los Angeles. The main character is now in the car with his partner shooting his gun at the fleeing criminal. I never knew Mugi-senpai would have an interest in games like these.

"You guys haven't sleep?" I asked my seniors.

"Not a single bit." Yamamoto-senpai answered, chewing his food.

"I see…"

I watched them play for quite some time, it looks interesting, but the English language disabled me from understanding the story.

"That man is lying." Tanigawa-senpai said as the character interrogated a suspect.

"Yeah, notice the twitch." Yamamoto-senpai added.

Mugi-senpai giggled happily. "Thanks, guys. I'm not really good at reading people." She stated as she pressed the button for the 'Lie' option.

The guys' assumption was correct, and the suspect was taken into custody. I might want to note that these two reliable seniors of mine are good at reading expressions.

"By the way, Nakano." Yamamoto-senpai started, opening a can of beer. "You might want to accompany Yui. She's at the studio right now."

"What! She's awake?"

"Yeah, practicing all by herself. You might be able to teach her a technique or two." He stated before gulping down the contents of the can.

"Why don't you go?" I asked the senpai.

"I'm not in the mood for teaching someone. If I were to go in there, I won't be able to teach effectively, and ended up wasting her time instead." He let out a satisfied sigh. "Besides, I don't wanna miss a single scene of this game."

Yamamoto-senpai's reason seems to be logical. I trusted this man all the time, since he always thinks first before acting. "Okay, I'll do that." I said before running to the studio.

Standing in front of the door, I heard the sound of Yui-senpai's guitar. She wasn't plugging her Gibson, I noted, and it sounds like she was practicing some sort of melody.

Entering the room, she noticed me and smiled widely. Somehow, not a single bit of drowsiness can be seen on her eyes.

"Azu-nyan, what are you doing, awake at this hour?"

"I should ask the same question to you." I said.

"Well, I'm just practicing this new song Mio-chan wrote. I can't seem to get it right." She said, rubbing her head nervously.

"Don't worry, I'll be glad to teach you." I stated with an assuring smile.

I took out my guitar and a tuner, just in case it went out of tune. Like usual, I placed the tuner on the top. It seems the top strings are still in tune.

"Ooh, so that's a tuner." Yui-senpai was looking quite amazed as she inspected the device closely.

"Is this your first time seeing one?"

She nodded several times. "Hiromi-kun told me about it, he said it's not necessary."

"It's not, but it makes the job easier." I explained the usefulness of the device.

"It would be better if you use the old fashioned way of tuning a guitar, your ears will be trained rather than relying on a handy-dandy electronic device." Yui-senpai said, imitating Yamamoto-senpai's voice. "That's what he said to me." She added with a smile.

"I guess so… then, show me how you tune the guitar."

"I just tune it by ear."

"Excuse me?"

"Just by listening to the sound, I can tell if it's out of tune or not."

I stared at my senior, completely dumbfounded. No, she must be joking. You must be really talented to be able to do that. I need proof.

"Okay, then my 1st string is out of tune, tell me how much." I said to her, ringing the first string.

"It's dropped half a step." She said with confidence.

Amazingly, she was right. I've confirmed with my tuner, which I've always trusted so far.

"That was amazing, Yui-senpai." I was pretty surprised, I never thought she would be able to do that.

"Isn't it?" My senior said proudly. "You should see the face Hiromi-kun made when I showed him!"

I'm rather interested in that, I would love to see Yamamoto-senpai with a different expression for once. That man never seems to move his facial muscles.

"Anyways, let's practice."

Yui-senpai was unable to do the intro of the new song Mio-senpai wrote. It was fairly easy, though a bit tricky. She would be able to do it if she didn't hurry.

"Don't try to match the song's tempo, try doing it slowly." I said to her, tossing out an example.

"I see…"

She's pretty determined when it comes to this. I guess what Yamamoto-senpai had stated is true, it's her dedication that kept her going.

Following my instructions, she was able to pull off the intro for the first time.

"I can do it! Thank you, Azu-nyan!" She exclaimed before leaping to me, giving me a hug and knocking me down to the floor.

I don't know why, but she seems to love physical contact. I've been told by her guitar teacher that it's just her method in expressing intimacy. But still, this is too much.

"Say, Azu-nyan." Yui-senpai broke the silence after a few seconds.

"What is it?"

"What do you think of Hiromi-kun?" She sat up, looking at me with interest.

"Eh?" I was a bit confused of her absurd question. "Well, he's an interesting man, actually. I get the impression that he's the grown up in the club, always protecting us from anything harmful." I explained my opinion of the man.

"I see…" Yui-senpai nodded her head several times, a motion that expresses approval. "Do you… like him?"

"Excuse me?" I was taken aback by that question. "Uh, it's not like that I disliked him, but I don't have _that_ kind of interest in him, if you know what I mean." I managed to answer without stumbling on my own words. "I'm more into Yuu-"

I immediately shut my mouth after realizing what I'm going to say. That's unnecessary information! You're going too far, Azusa!

"Who?"

"No, forget it, nevermind." I muttered.

"I see… well, that's a relief." Yui-senpai muttered before standing up and turning around, her back facing me.

"Eh? What do you mean by that?" With a bit of thinking, it took not a minute to figure out what she meant. "Wait, does that mean-"

"Aaah, I'm drowsy, I'm going to sleep, bye-bye Azu-nyan!" Yui-senpai escaped from the room before I could finish my sentence.

"Wait, Yui-senpai!"

Too late, the door closed with a bang, followed by a deep silence filling the room.

So Yui-senpai has that kind of interest in Yamamoto-senpai. How interesting… I wonder how those two will turn out.

I don't know much about love, but it must be something really beautiful. Just by looking at Mio-senpai together with Tanigawa-senpai made me feel a bit of happiness in me.

I guess I need to do my best in chasing my love interest, then. I really wanted to know how it feels to be loved, and have someone to love.

I hope we share the same feelings, that Yuuki-senpai.

* * *

><p><strong>Cookies for the guygal who could guess what game Mugi played**


	42. Out of Character, Nakano Azusa

**Author's Note: Thank you, Pineapple-chuan for the review! Writing is like survival, you need good morale to keep going. And that review, is good morale!**

**Shadowfreddy: I don't speak Spanish, so I used Google Translate. Thank you very much for your review, I really appreciate it! And your guess is right, the game is L.A. Noire. Have some cookies!**

**Ternyata banyak juga orang Indonesia yang baca, makasih banyak yaa! Hahahaha**

* * *

><p>"Morning, Yamamoto-kun."<p>

Kotobuki greeted me as I walked out of the bedroom. It seems it's only her and me that just woke up.

"Morning." I replied.

"Would you like some tea?"

"I'll pass."

Blinking a few times to get my vision right, I strode my legs towards the coffee maker. I don't like tea in the morning, I'd rather have coffee to boost my awareness.

"You're pretty early." I said, lighting up a conversation as I walked towards the terrace.

"Yes, it's a habit of mine." She followed me outside, a cup of tea in her hand. "We were playing until around 3 am, if I'm not mistaken."

I took a glance to the clock on the wall. The long arm pointed to 12 and the short to 6.

"I slept for 3 hours." I stated, feeling the fatigue catching up with me as I rested my body on the chair.

The terrace was pretty great for mornings like these. Wide and spacious, you could feel the fresh morning air around you. Kotobuki sat beside me, sipping her tea calmly in a ladylike manner. Her gentle smile was still intact, as if it was a part of her that's hard to let go.

"Thank you for helping me out last night, Yamamoto-kun." Kotobuki broke the brief silence.

"Don't mention it. I'm also curious of the game. It's not a disappointment, the action, as well as the suspense of the cases was great."

"I agree. The chase sequences were pretty thrilling, I never got bored of those."

"Though it's obviously scripted, it's scripted good."

"What kind of mumbo jumbo are you guys talking about this early in the morning?"

The feminine yet tough voice disturbed us from praising Rockstar's game even further. We turned our heads to see Kathy in her just-woke-up state, sleepily striding her legs towards one of the chairs with a coffee mug in her hand. I noted her hair wasn't tied up to a ponytail yet.

"Good morning, Kathy-chan." Kotobuki greeted the still-drowsy woman.

"Morning…" she answered lazily.

Taking a seat beside Kotobuki, the tall girl sighed as she closed her eyes and leaned back.

I took out a cigarette from the pack, placing it in my lips. I noticed the lighter is out of my reach.

"Kathy, pass the Zippo."

The blonde took my Zippo with the S.T.A.R.S. emblem engraved on it and tossed it to me. Catching it with my right hand, I lighted the cigarette and let out a deadly smoke which contains chemicals that could kill people. It seems even drowsiness couldn't diminish her precision, throwing things require high concentration to pull, and that throw was rather beautiful.

"Did you have a good night's sleep?" The main keyboardist asked.

"No, due to a certain someone."

"A certain someone?" I was a bit curious.

"Your apprentice, Yamamoto." Kathy turned her head to me, letting out a yawn before continuing.

"Yui? What the hell did she do?"

"I was awaken by the sound of the door slamming open. As I opened my eyes, Yui jumped to her futon gleefully." She let out a sigh like those of a mother that got tired of her child. "That's not all. I don't know why, but she seemed happy. I can't sleep due to her constant giggling all night long."

A bit of logic, and it's all in place. "Yui practiced with Nakano before that, she might be happy that she learned something from her kohai."

Kathy turned her head forwards, looking far into the sky with her eyes narrowed, as if she's thinking something. "No, she won't be THAT happy just to learn some guitar techniques. You have no idea how joyful that girl was, it's like she won a million dollars."

"Hmmm… good point."

Both of us thought of the possibilities in a sleep-deprived state. It's not really effective, since drowsiness could greatly lessen your ability to think clearly.

A small giggle snapped us out of our thoughts. We turned our heads in unison towards the source. Covering her mouth with her hand, Kotobuki looked like she had solved the mystery.

"You got something to say, Kotobuki?"

"Oh, nothing. Don't mind me." She said innocently.

I just knew she had the answer. Like usual, she's intending to let it be a secret for me to discover.

Women.

"Good morning, everyone."

We simultaneously turned our heads towards our six. Walking gracefully towards us was Tanigawa along with his girlfriend, looking fresh as ever.

"Good morning, both of you." Kotobuki greeted.

"Mio, did you hear Yui's giggling last night?" Kathy was still curious of the unsolved mystery.

"Eh? No, I'm pretty much asleep without any disturbance." Akiyama answered as she took a seat beside Tanigawa.

"Oh, pity me for having a sharp sense of hearing." Muttered Kathy.

Yuuki and Nakano joined us shortly after small talks with the joyful couple. For some reason, Nakano looked a bit… confident. Adding that fact, it only thickens the mystery of what happened that night.

"Azusa, what happened yesterday night when you're with Yui?" Kathy started the interrogation.

"Huh? No, nothing happened. Nothing at all." The kohai said nervously, rubbing her head.

Kathy sighed and hung her head. "Oh, well… let's just keep it that way, it might be a secret they didn't want us to find out."

I agree. It's just a waste of time racking your brain with this stuff.

"Actually…" Nakano started in a low voice. "Yui-senpai has something-"

"Morning everyone!"

The interruption stopped us from knowing the truth. Coming out of the villa was the previously mentioned person, overloaded with happiness for a reason still uncertain.

"Ah, good morning, Yui-senpai." Nakano quickly shifted her attention to her senior.

"What are you guys talking about just now?" Yui was obviously more cheerful than usual, doesn't take a goddamn expert psychiatrist to figure out.

"About the effectiveness of coffee in the morning." Kathy blurted out a random lie.

Yui looked uninterested for a second, before getting back to her usual self.

"Ricchan and Chihaya-kun are cooking breakfast right now, they said they'd call us when it's ready."

"Great…" I muttered.

Not long after, Chihaya called out to us, reminding breakfast is ready. Like usual, the club ate with joy whilst chatting about random stuffs. The others seemed to notice the increase in Yui's cheerfulness, and started to wonder why. Nakano and Kotobuki held the answer, but I don't really care, actually. A great increase in the positive side of one's personality means nothing bad happened, so I think I'll just leave it be.

After breakfast, we decided to spend the day at the beach. I figured the woods would be a nice place for foraging, so I brought my survival knife with me. As we walked towards the sandy terrain with our swimsuits on, I noticed Kotobuki whispering something to Nakano. Those two seems to have agreed on something. What, I know not. I brought my acoustic guitar with me, just in case I got bored. Chihaya said he won't be going, since he's not in the mood for the stinging, scorching sun.

I could feel the sand on my feet once again. It was 9 in the morning, and the sun's preparing itself to attack us with its deadly rays.

"Hmm…" I hummed to myself as I observed the surroundings.

"Something on your mind?" Yuuki asked me.

"Nothing." I lied. Actually, a bonfire in the middle of the night would be great here. Maybe I'll collect some firewood this evening.

The club went away to the waters in haste, leaving only me, Kotobuki and Kathy sitting on the mat. Nothing else to do other than smoke, I grabbed my guitar and started playing random chords.

Somehow my brain told me to play a song from 'Xenogears', Star of Tears.

Playing the intro, it seems Kotobuki recognized the tune. As I reached the first verse, she started to sing.

_Your fingertips moving gently to my heart  
>The force of light goes on and on<br>The song remains  
>Like a haunting melody<br>Of angel music held in chains _

_And I ask you  
>Can we ease the pain of those who lost?<br>Can we know the cause of all this sorrow?  
>Can we catch the tears of a broken world?<br>Falling down upon the Earth  
>Falling down<em>

Her voice didn't match Joanne Hogg's. But Kotobuki had quite a good voice, maybe she practiced vocals? I might like this friend of mine's version more than the original.

_The waves of time  
>take me deeper into you<br>A haze as blue as summer skies  
>We turn to find<br>The key will not unlock the door  
>This broken bird away it flies<em>

_And I ask you  
>Can we ease the pain of those who lost?<br>Can we know the cause of all this sorrow?  
>Can we catch the tears of a broken world?<br>Falling down upon the Earth  
>Falling down<em>

Ending the song, I saw Kathy was rather amused.

"Wow, you have a great voice, Mugi."

"Thank you, Kathy-chan."

"Did you practice vocals?" I asked, a bit curious.

"No, I haven't practice at all, I just love to sing."

"Natural talent."

"I guess you could say that." Kotobuki said with a smile. "Thanks for playing that song, Yamamoto-kun. It brings a lot of memories."

"Didn't know you played Xenogears, too." I stated.

"It's one of my favorites. Squaresoft was at its best all those years back."

"Yeah, they rule the RPG games back then."

"Okay, enough of your video games blabbering, I can't understand a single word." Kathy stated, feeling left out of the conversation.

After a few small talks with the girls, I decided to walk around the woods to see what I can find.

"A lot of tinder, and kindling. Oh, sweet, bamboo."

It's a walk in the park to start a fire with so many resources around here. Now let's see if I can do something with this bamboo pole.

"About 1.5 meters long, good for a spear."

With that, I took out my knife and started to sharpen the edge. Bamboo is famous for its effectiveness in survival situations. They're tough, buoyant, and flexible. If you're stranded on a deserted island, it's a good material for making a raft.

Done with the spear, I took an empty plastic bottle from the mat. The others were a bit confused of my actions, and started to question me.

"A plastic bottle like this can act like a makeshift viewfinder. I can see what's inside the waters easily." I explained.

"Okay, but why not use goggles?" Tainaka offered me hers.

"If you're stranded on a deserted island, would there be goggles?" I asked the president.

"No."

"Exactly."

Without further adieu, I walked towards the waters, looking through the plastic viewfinder.

I may look like a weird person in the eyes of the others. That's not important, I don't care what they think of me, I just want to do things I enjoy.

"Hm?"

A certain thing caught my attention. Taking a closer look, it's a lobster. Lobster claws have the power to rip your fingers off, so I have to be careful. But this lobster is out in the open, and I got a clear shot.

With a bit of aiming, I thrust the bamboo spear towards it.

"Gotcha."

Lifting it up into the air, the spear went through its eyes. This thing is huge, must've been the size of a man's shoe.

Walking back to the shore, the club noticed my catch, and was rather amazed.

"A lobster! How in the world did you catch it?" Kathy exclaimed.

"Lobsters are easy to catch with a spear, if you're careful enough." I stated, looking at the wriggling sea creature.

"That's amazing, Yamamoto-kun!" Akiyama complimented my work.

"Well, I guess this is a good snack."

"What are you gonna do? Roast it?" Yuuki asked.

"Gonna need some fire first." I took a glance towards a palm tree.

Palm trees have some great stuff on them for tinder. I might be able to climb this one and get some.

I jumped on to the tree, focusing the power to my legs and thighs. The trick of climbing a palm tree is to try to grab it with your toes. It took a lot of strength to pull, and it's a bit tricky.

Once up, I gathered some of the stuff. It's like the material for a bird's nest, and it should take a spark easily.

Down climbing is much harder than going up, due to the limited visibility. But at least gravity's by your side. With a bit of patience, I could slide down easily.

"Alright, let's start a fire."

For kindling, I collected some dead branches in the woods.

The club gathered around me, curious of the fire starting. I have done this a lot of time before, when my father took me to a trip. He taught me some great survival skills needed in the wilderness.

"A Gerber knife… wait, what does BG stands for?" Yuuki asked me as he examined my black-orange knife.

"Bear Grylls." I stated.

"Now I know why you went all commando."

"Yeah, I've always wanted to do what he did." I took my knife from Yuuki. "Though I've experienced a bit of his stuff when I'm young. I've eaten a live snake before." Pulling out the knife from its place, I readied myself to blast a spark.

The others, excluding Yuuki and Kathy, who already knew of my past, gasped as they heard my story. "Are you serious?" Akiyama was a bit curious, a bit scared.

"Yeah, dad taught me some survival skills." I said as I grinded my knife in quick succession against the ferrocerium rod, creating a spark. "That includes making a trap, shelter, fire, and knowledge of what's edible and what's not."

"What does a snake tastes like?" Tainaka threw out a question.

"I don't even know how to describe it. But at least it's better than insects." Seeing a smoke, I blew the tinder bundle slowly, moving it towards the kindling.

Another round of gasps can be heard. "You eat insects, too?" Tainaka asked me with disbelief.

"They're good stuff. Five times more protein than beef." The tinder bundle blew into flames. I placed it below the arranged dead branches to let it burn.

"You're one hell of a high school student." Tainaka stated.

"I know." The crackling sounds can be heard, a good sign that the fire's spreading. I placed the lobster on top of it to let it cook.

Watching the lobster cook, we gathered around, talking about unimportant stuffs. It was one of the moments where I would feel at ease, watching my friends all happy and well.

"Should be ready now." I took my knife and a piece of stick to grab the lobster. It was charcoal black on the outside, but the insides are looking pretty damn good.

"If I remember correctly, the brain is considered a delicacy." Tanigawa piped in.

"It is. You want it? I'm pretty sure everyone else doesn't" I asked the gentleman.

The others shook their heads no.

"I'll take it, then." Tanigawa accepted the challenge.

I cracked the claw with the base of the knife's handle, which is a stainless steel pommel. Revealing the flesh inside, I gave it to the others to share.

Stabbing its head, I searched for the thing Tanigawa requested.

"Here it is." I pulled out the tiny brains with my knife out of its base.

He took the knife and ate the small, squishy stuff.

"How is it?" I asked, a bit curious.

The expression on his face is of confusion. "I don't know, it's tasteless." He swallowed the food. "Though the texture is a bit… brainy. If you know what I mean."

"Huh… so much for delicacy." I muttered.

We ate the huge thing in joy. It seems that it's a rarity for them to eat something they don't buy in stores or restaurants.

The club continued their fun in the waters with a full stomach. It amazed me how they could be very energetic. Sitting down on the mat were Yui along with me, watching the others splashing around like grade schoolers.

"The light music club sure is fun. Don't you agree, Hiromi-kun?"

"I guess." I muttered.

"I remember the first time I joined, it's only Ricchan, Mio-chan, and Mugi-chan." She looked up to the sky, reminiscing her past. "Then you and Tanigawa-kun came along. Now, there are Azu-nyan, Kathy-chan, and Tanaka-kun."

I believe I have something to tell her, after all this time. "I wouldn't have joined the club if you didn't tell me about it." I cleared my throat, feeling a bit awkward. "So thanks, Yui."

I rarely gave thanks to someone. My lack of experience disabled me from giving a proper one, but I guess that's good enough.

Yui turned her head to me, smiling. "Sure thing, Hiromi-kun!"

I can't help but to let a smile creep up to my face. Somehow her smile can be rather contagious, it's a bit scary.

Locking my sight to nowhere in particular, I began to speculate the possibilities of Yui had not invited me to join. I'm pretty sure I won't be as happy as this. What club would I join? Literature? It might be filled with boring people who read all the time. Soccer? No, I'm into sports, but I'm not into socializing with the team. The SOS Brigade? I'll probably suffer every single day, Suzumiya alone could make one's life a goddamn misery, and the members of the brigade aren't even helping. Yeah, I guess this club was the most fitting for me. It's my new home, where I can find friends that care for my well being.

A contact on my shoulder snapped me out of my thoughts. Turning my head, I saw Yui with her eyes closed, leaning to me. She's asleep, probably because of the lack of a proper rest the night before. I let out a sigh, falling asleep while you're wet, and in the wind like this, could lead to a cold. I need to get her to the villa.

Before I stood up, I observed the airhead closely. Somehow I can't get my sight away from her. Her small pink lips are a bit parted, and her eyes closed tightly, with a few wet strands of hair on her face. She was like a fragile little girl, with some kind of a radiating aura of gentleness and innocence around her. I have the urge to hug her, protect her from anything harmful. Fortunately, I am able to refrain from doing so. I have a good grip of my senses, and I won't get lost that easily.

"Oh ho, how cute."

Turning my head towards the source of the voice, I saw Kotobuki with an all-too gleeful smile on her face.

I let out a sigh. It seems every time I'm together with Yui, this certain blonde would appear out of nowhere, commenting unnecessary stuffs.

"I'm going to get her to the villa." I stated, ignoring the shots Kotobuki took with her camera.

Carefully carrying her bridal-style, I walked towards the villa. Feeling the contact with her bare skin is just…

No, get a grip, Hiromi. Focus on your task, don't ever space out.

As I walked inside, I saw Yamanaka-sensei along with Chihaya. It seems the teacher just woke up, and she was enjoying a cup of tea in the dining room.

"Some kind of a responsible adult you are, waking up at this hour." I greeted my teacher.

Yamanaka-sensei turned her head to me, noticing my existence. As she saw Yui unconscious, she immediately ran up to me along with the chef.

"Is she alright?"

"She's fine. She's just asleep." I took a glance at the sleeping beauty. "I need help, sensei. Could you clean her up, and get her to bed? Just get the salt off her body, she won't sleep comfortably with those sea water all over her."

"Why don't you do it yourself?" Sensei said with a smug smile.

"With all due respect, sensei, could you just shut up?" I was a bit annoyed at her preposterous suggestion.

"Okay, okay, grumpy man." She muttered as she took Yui. It seems she didn't have any trouble carrying her, Yui weighs like a feather.

"Thanks. Make sure she's well."

The two women disappeared from my sight. I just hope that lunatic didn't do anything to Yui.

"You're pretty worried."

I was too occupied to remember there was a certain sarcastic man standing beside me.

"I'm not." I muttered.

"You are."

"Whatever." I just knew there's no point in arguing with Chihaya. He's stubborn as hell.

Walking back to the beach, I announced Yui's safety to the club. It was then I saw something missing, my guitar.

I could easily ask the witnesses around here, but that would be too easy. Solving mysteries like these by yourself could improve your deduction skills, and that's my intention.

I saw my guitar on the mat before I left carrying Yui. It is now gone, with a couple of footprints on the sand around it. Small feet… Nakano. I took a glance towards the waters, there were no twin ponytails sighted. Well, mystery solved.

I guess I should've just asked the others, an easy case like this barely improved my skills.

Tracing the footprints, it leads to the rocks where there's a wall of barnacles. As I reached my destination, I heard a familiar tune.

_Because I have you, because I have tomorrow  
>because I can't live on all alone<br>I feel you so close by me, I guess that's love  
>Because you know how much pain tears can bring<br>I want to find a smile in your transparent eyes  
>as I search for a definite meaning in them<em>

It seems our kohai had something on her mind. She sang with all her heart, and the voice was perfect. Nobody would be able to reach this level of magnificence without putting their all in the song.

I remain scarecrow throughout the song. A part of me wanted to know what's on her mind, so I think the best way to know is to ask her directly.

As the song goes, I speculate the possibilities of what's troubling her. This song is strongly focused on romance, as the lyrics suggested. So I guess that's my answer, there's something love-related on her mind.

The song ended, I went out of my hiding spot and walked towards the kohai. She noticed my footsteps and turned her head back, looking at me with a bit of anxiousness.

"Sorry for borrowing this without your permission."

"I don't mind, as long as you take good care of it." I sat beside her, facing the sunset.

It was a great sight for the both of us, the sun was low, and the whole area was rendered in an orange glow. We sat there with only the sounds of the waves crashing to the rocks.

"Something on your mind?" I asked, breaking the brief silence.

Nakano hung her head, eyes focusing on her knees. "Yamamoto-senpai..." She started.

"What?"

"Are you friends with Yuuki-senpai for long?" The twin ponytailed girl turned her head to me, a look of curiosity on her face.

"Yeah, since junior high." I stated, remembering the old days. "What's your point?"

"I just wanted to know more about him."

"Why?" It might be annoying to keep asking questions, but I need to know what her intentions were.

"To tell you the truth…" She took a deep breath. "I kind of… like him."

I was a bit surprised at that. Who would have thought that these two shared the same feelings?

"I see…" I muttered. "Well, I guess he's a good guy. You've seen his kindness before, when the two of you first met. I'm pretty sure you remember."

"Clear as day."

"He's always like that since junior high. I guess you could say it's his born personality."

"Yo, both of you."

A familiar voice made us turn our heads. It was Kathy, looking as cheerful as usual.

"Hey, Kathy-senpai." Nakano greeted the foreigner.

"Whatcha doin'?" She took a seat beside the kohai.

"Just… talking." Nakano answered nervously.

"She's in love with Yuuki." I stated bluntly.

"Yamamoto-senpai!" Exclaimed the petite girl in a bit of panic.

Kathy laughed loudly, throwing her head back. "It's not a secret anymore, Azusa. Us girls knew about it for quite some time."

"Really?"

"Yeah, it's pretty obvious." Kathy stated, winking.

"Oh dear…"

"So, you're going to confess soon, Azusa?" The blonde pried further.

"Umm… I don't know, probably."

"No, no, no. Being unsure of your options is not a good thing." Kathy shook her head. "You have to be sure! There's no room for doubt in love!"

"That was pretty damn cheesy." I commented.

"Shut up, Yamamoto! It's true, if you have doubts, even a little, it will affect your relationship later on." She started her speech in romantic relationships.

I let out a sigh, I'm all into lectures and stuff, but not in this topic.

"What do you think, Kathy-senpai? Should I wait a little longer?" Nakano asked the love expert.

"Nay, you shan't." With an air of confidence, Kathy stated, "Both of your feelings are mutual, I'm sure he would be happy if he knew you liked him."

"But- I don't know… I'm a bit… nervous. You know that feeling, right?"

"I'm sure you are, but that's all in the mind." The blonde pointed her head. "Just think of it like you're talking to him like usual."

"I see… I'll do my best!"

Letting out a yawn, I stood up from my seat. "Well, good luck, Nakano." I said before leaving.

"Thanks, Yamamoto-senpai!"

I walked towards the villa for a nice bath. I really needed some fresh water, this salt on my body is getting me really uncomfortable.

I don't care much about love, since it's pretty much pointless. After dating, comes marriage. And much later, comes children. I don't think it's important, having someone by your side 'til the end of time seems pretty harsh, think of the responsibility you have to take. I'd rather live alone, with no one to protect but myself.

The image of Yui crossed my mind. I don't know why, but she just randomly popped out of nowhere. Ah, I guess I'm just tired. Yeah, I haven't had a proper rest since I came here to the villa. I slept only a few hours due to Kotobuki's invitation in playing L.A. Noire. A lack of a decent rest could easily make your brains go wild, that's why most writers got inspirations when they're about to go to sleep.

After a nice, hot bath, I decided to crack open a can of cold beer and rest on the terrace. Having a beer with the sunset as the view is one hell of a treat for me. I'm pretty sure I have no other thing that I wished for in my mind other than this.

"Aren't you a bit too young for that?"

Oh yeah, there's a teacher among us, who could probably lower my grades or even expel me from my oh-so beloved school.

"I'm aware of what I'm doing." I stated.

"Well, you got a good head on your shoulders, so I'll let it slip." She took a seat beside me, revealing a can of her own.

Yamanaka-sensei was actually a good person. Despite her hobby in molesting women, she's truly a pretty reliable and reasonable adult.

"By the way… that sarcastic friend of yours…" She started, breaking the silence.

"Chihaya? What about him?"

"Is he in love with someone?" Sensei turned her head to me with a questioning look.

What the hell? What is this, the annual talk-about-love day? What's with all the romance?

"Hell if I know." I stated, though I actually lied. I knew that guy's in love with Tainaka. "Why?" I asked, a bit curious.

"I don't know, he started questioning me about the club…" She took swig of her beer. "…though it's mostly focused on a certain someone."

"Who?" I already knew the answer, but just to make sure, I decided to ask.

"Our beloved drummer."

Bingo.

"So?" I threw out yet another question.

"So, I don't know, help them out maybe?"

"They don't need any help."

"But isn't it fun, helping your friend get together with his love interest?"

"Not for me, nay." I stated.

"It is for me."

The interference made us turn our heads towards the source of the feminine voice. Kotobuki stood there, with her casual outfit, smiling her usual gentle and innocent smile. She already took a bath, I noted. Somehow I'm thinking she might have some kind of a teleportation device, she could pop up anywhere and anytime.

"Kotobuki, is Yui still asleep?" I asked the blonde.

"She is. You look pretty concerned, Yamamoto-kun." She stated before taking a seat.

"I'm just worried she might be sick or something, sleeping in the wind while your body is wet could easily make you catch a cold." I explained.

Kotobuki let out a disappointed sigh. "Always one to explain things the technical way."

I ignored the comment and lit a cigarette. Time went by really fast these days, before I know it, the place is dark with the stars scattered across the skies. We prepared dinner like usual, with Chihaya as the head chef. It was then Yui woke up, completely forgotten how and why she got to the room in the first place.

"You fell asleep after we ate the lobster." I explained to her.

"Is that so? I completely forgot!" Yui stated, rubbing her head.

"And you fell asleep at Yamamoto-kun's shoulder." Kotobuki added.

No matter how important details are, there are times where it is not necessary to state it.

"Really?" Yui hung her head, focusing on the floor. Her hair hid her face, so I can't make out her expression clearly. "Thank you, Hiromi-kun. I would've fallen down if you weren't there."

"Whatever." I muttered.

We ate the dinner in delight, filling up our energy once again. After the feast, we hung out in the terrace, chatting away like usual.

"I think I'm going to sleep." Kathy stated, gaining everyone's attention.

"I, as well." Tanigawa stood up from his seat.

"I'm going to continue my game." Kotobuki followed.

It seems like a signal… a code to leave someone alone. I turned my head to Nakano, she was hanging her head down, sitting beside Yuuki. I see… the club's intending to leave the two of them alone. Ah, damn it, how troublesome, my smoke's not even halfway done!

Much to my dismay, I put out the still long cigarette, then followed the others inside.

"Have a good sleep, everyone!" Yuuki exclaimed to us.

As I was inside, I saw the others stacked up, peeking out of the window with the curtains acting as a cover. It was only Nakano and Yuuki out in the terrace, and I could feel the awkward silence outside.

"At least give those two some privacy." I said to the club.

"No way! I won't miss the chance to see Azusa conveying her feelings!" Tainaka stated, the others agreed by nodding their heads.

"Whatever…" I muttered, joining the others in observing the duo.

Nakano and Yuuki sat there, with the dim lights of the terrace, and the moon along with the stars as their source of illumination. They were looking towards the sky, observing the stars together. It's like one of those romancey stuff you see in movies. Pretty damn cheesy.

"The sky in the countryside is beautiful, isn't it?" Yuuki started.

"It sure is." Replied Nakano.

"That's a pretty damn clichéd way to start a conversation." I muttered, only to be hushed by the others.

"What do you think of the club so far, Azusa?" my old friend asked his companion for the night.

"Well… I believe it's unique, like it's not an ordinary high school club."

"I thought so." Standing up and walking towards the railings, Yuuki let out a satisfied sigh. "We're really happy to have you around, Azusa. It's quite a rarity for someone to be interested in our club."

"About that…" Nakano muttered in a low voice, hanging her head. "The reason I joined the club was because they're looking really good in the freshmen reception performance." She then jolted her head towards Yuuki. "But there's another reason of my enrollment in the club."

"And that is…?" Yuuki was really curious.

Nakano's answer was pretty clear, and straightforward. It was a simple one word, consists of three letters, and used commonly amongst us humans.

"You."

The look on Yuuki's face was priceless, I've never seen the man looking so surprised before.

"Co-come again?" he stuttered, looking really, really panicked.

"You're the main reason why I joined the club, Yuuki-senpai." Nakano stood up and took a step forward, closer to Yuuki with every word she let out. "Since the first time I met you, I have this feeling that's new to me, I don't know what it is, but it's really getting on my nerves!" She reached Yuuki in a matter of seconds, letting in a deep breath, she released the feelings she wanted to convey.

"I'm in love with you, Yuuki-senpai!"

A few squeals could be heard from the girls. Yuuki just stood there, mouth agape and eyes wide. There's a possibility that our cover's blown, due to the excessive noise the girls made. But it seems that's not the case right now, those two wouldn't care even if there's a sudden huge explosion coming out of nowhere in this situation.

"That was epic." Chihaya commented.

"Indeed." Tanigawa agreed.

Gulping down an imaginary lump, Yuuki got a hold of his senses once again. He was still a bit flustered, though more conscious this time.

"Well, what can I say…" He cleared his throat and smiled widely. "All this time I've been having doubts, what if you're not interested in me? What if you love someone else?" Putting his hand on the girl's shoulder, Yuuki let out his feelings to the kohai. "But here you are, saying you're in love with me. What a surprise. I love you too, Azusa."

Engaging in a hug, the newborn couple giggled happily, as if they just got married. It's sweet and all, but I'm pretty sure there were a lot of mosquitoes out there in this hour, don't they feel a bit itchy?

"Awwww, that's just cute!" Kotobuki commented as she took a few pictures with her camera.

"Azusa was pretty straightforward there…" Akiyama muttered.

"That's my girl!" Kathy exclaimed, feeling really proud.

The newborn couple released their grips, and stared at each other for quite some time. It was then that Yuuki decided to break brief moment of silence.

"Shall we tell the others, then?"

"Sure, why not?" Nakano agreed with a smile on her face.

The two walked towards the entrance hand in hand, looking happy as ever. I must say, it was rather a beautiful sight, even though I'm not into this stuff.

"Let's surprise them!" Tainaka suggested, running towards the door with haste.

The others followed, save Chihaya and I, who just stood there, waiting for the couple to arrive.

Letting out a creaking sound as the huge wooden door opened, the couple was greeted by the club with a blast.

"Congratulations!" They shouted simultaneously. Yuuki and Nakano were surely surprised, they didn't notice their conversation was eavesdropped all this time.

"Whoa, did you guys just-"

"My old friend has a lover, I'm real jealous of you, Tanaka!" Yuuki's words were cut off by Kathy, who leapt to her old friend and threw a playful punch towards his shoulder.

"Ow! Okay, okay, I get it! No need to do that!" Yuuki stated, rubbing his shoulder to ease the pain.

"Congratulations, both of you!" Yui leapt, wrapping her arms around the couple's necks.

"Th-thank you, Yui-senpai." Nakano stuttered, her face glowing red.

The club started to congratulate the couple individually, they were genuinely happy, I could tell. Usually there's a spark of jealousy in situations like these, but I knew the club well. They were great people, they took care of each other to prevent conflict, and I could tell that the intimacy they shared with each other would last for a long time.

"Isn't this a beautiful sight?"

I turned my head to the chef, who let out a comment without a hint of sarcasm, which was pretty rare.

"It is. I'm happy for both of them" I stated.

"It's pretty amazing, this crazy little thing called 'love'. Look at that, they're really happy beyond your wildest imagination."

I stared at Chihaya, unable to decipher his words. "What's your point?" I asked.

"Nothing, just blabbering complete nonsense." He said with a smirk, gaining his sarcastic self back.

I sighed, feeling really not in the mood. "Whatever."

Moving to the living room, we held a party for the lovers. It consists of a cake, a happy music playing in the background, and juice. Of course, Yamanaka-sensei along with Chihaya and I grabbed a beer for the event.

"A toast for the newborn couple, Azusa and Tanaka!" Tainaka announced, holding her glass high up in the air.

"Cheers!"

"Now, a speech from the groom's old friend, Yamamoto Hiromi!"

What? How the hell am I involved in this? And he's not even a groom yet!

The club cheered for me, as if I'm a racer about to go into the circuit.

"No." I bluntly refused.

"Come on, Yamamoto! For your friend's sake!" Tainaka begged.

"Hell no."

"Come on, now, up you go!" Kathy lifted me up, forcefully changing my stance to a standing position. I've forgotten about how strong this woman was.

"Goddamnit." I muttered. "Well, it's not a good speech, really." I started, clearing my throat. "I've trusted you since junior high, and I still trust you now. You should be able to tell what I'm going to say."

"Protect the opposite gender like your life depends on it." Yuuki recited. "You've told me that quite frequently since we first met."

"Exactly." I am rather proud of this man. "It's an unspoken rule for us men to protect the women. This is one of the many things I've learned from my father."

"Don't worry, Hiromi. I'll be sure to protect Azusa from any threats. You have my word."

"Don't let my trust get some rust, partner." I said to him.

The club gave a round of applause for my not-so-great speech. It's not necessary to give my old friend some instructions, he knew his task well, and it won't be easy to lead him astray.

The party goes on, filled with fun and joy. It was a great event for the club to gather and gave their best wishes to the newborn couple. Somehow I felt really thankful to be thrown in situation like this. Happiness is a man's best gift, as they said, and this, is happiness for me.

Tired and sleepy, the club went to their respective rooms to get some shut-eye. I'm not feeling really drowsy, so I decided to grab a can of beer along with my acoustic guitar.

The silent living room was dark, really different from an hour before, where it held an atmosphere of bliss. I've gotten used to this kind of feeling. Dark, depressing, and intimidating, these senses were my best friends in times when I'm alone.

But not today. I've thrown away those feelings. I have a good life now, and it's my dying wish to let it continue until I let out my last breath. Of course, there might be problems I have to face, but I'll face it head-on. I won't run away anymore, I'll stand strong against the current, and I'll never look back.

Heading out to the terrace, I noted there might be a lot of mosquitoes around. But what the hell, I'll adapt to it. I'm wearing trousers anyway, so they would just go for my arms.

Sitting on the chair, I performed one of my favorite songs in fingerstlye: 'Rain and Tears'. It's simple, easy, yet satisfying for the ears. One of the earliest songs I've learned from my father, this melody reminded me of him.

The sound of the door creaking open stopped me from finishing the song. Turning my head, I saw Yui still looking fresh.

"Hey, Hiromi-kun." She greeted.

"Yo, can't sleep?"

She shook her head. "I'm not sleepy." She stated before taking a seat next to me.

"You're asleep the whole day, of course you won't be sleepy."

We sat there in silence, letting the crickets took over. By some means, I felt really tranquil when she's around. I don't know why, it seems like it's one of those mysteries that could not be solved.

A giggle escaped Yui's lips. "I never thought Azu-nyan would confess like that." She stated.

"It was unexpected. Her means of confessing was really straightforward, it's actually really out of character for her."

"Right? It's like a ghost possessed her or something!" Yui giggled a bit more, before letting out a contented sigh. "Another couple has born in our club. It seems like yesterday that Mio-chan confessed to Tanigawa-kun. Now here we are, congratulating Azu-nyan of her relationship with Tanaka-kun."

"Time goes by like a lullaby." I recited.

"Hey, Hiromi-kun, play me a song!" Yui suddenly requested.

"I don't take requests." I stated bluntly.

"Come on, just this once?"

I weighed on my options. It's not a comfortable feeling to take a request, your mind would be filled with doubts and worries. What if I didn't play the song good enough? What if she's disappointed of my performance? It's common for us to make mistakes when there's a lot going on our minds. So if you wanted to take a request, you must have nerves of steel, and a really good dose of confidence. Being the pessimist I am, I have no such thing.

That's not the case, actually. The one who requested was the one who saved my life once. If I declined, I am merely a selfish person for not paying back her kindness.

Like hell I'm a selfish person.

"Very well." I agreed, getting ready to play a song.

I played the tune that reminded me of last year, where Chihaya revealed his soft side to Tainaka. It was 'Speak Softly Love'. A song that would be in my mind 'til the end of time, due to its beautiful melody and its association with my all-time favorite movie, 'The Godfather'.

I didn't saw Yui's reaction, but she stayed silent throughout the song. It's a good sign that she might be enjoying it as much as I do. I'm rather happy to know that, even though it's merely a speculation.

After ending the song, I turned my head towards the requester. It was not a scene I expected, and I was taken by surprise. Yui was gulping down the contents of the can I had brought like it was water.

"What the hell are you doing!" I exclaimed in panic.

Slamming the can down, she revealed her face with a tint of pink on both of her cheeks.

"I just wanted to try it…" She said in an obvious drunken tone.

"Holy hell, you're drunk with just one can. That's a first." I stated, inspecting her a bit further. Yep, she's drunk alright.

"I'm not drunk… ehe he he…"

"You are. Now let's get you to bed." I said as I stood up, supporting her footing by wrapping her arm around my shoulders.

"Hiromi-kun, you're so handsome… ha ha ha…" She muttered as we walked inside.

I tend to ignore a drunk's words. It's all just random blabbering that came out of nowhere, and held no real meaning at all. So I kept quiet and focused on my task.

"Damn, you're dead drunk." I muttered as I put her down gently to the couch in the living room.

After making sure she's asleep and well, I turned my back to get myself some shut-eye.

Before I even took a step, I felt a tug on my shirt. Turning my head back, I saw Yui's hand gripped it pretty tightly.

"Don't leave me alone, Hiromi-kun…" She muttered, the expression on her face was of worry, which I really detested.

Oh dear, looks like I got myself in a sticky situation. I took a pillow from the floor and tossed it to her, hoping it would help her. I didn't work, she kicked the pillow once it landed on her.

"I want you, Hiromi-kun…" Her eyes were still closed, so she might be sleep talking.

I could feel my face heat up at those words. No, she's drunk, she's just muttering nonsense. Get a grip, Hiromi.

Looking for another way to calm her down, I turned my head around, looking for things that might be able to substitute my figure.

No good, there's no such thing I could use.

"Balls." I swore. Leaving her be isn't an option. There's a chance she might go berserk due to the alcohol. The one and only option was to do as she wished.

Which, I'm going to regret.

Lying down beside her, she instantly wrapped her arms around me, and buried her face to my chest. A light giggle escaped her lips, which made me feel a bit of peace.

No matter how wrong it may sound, it felt really good to be so close to her. I've never felt this kind of warmth before, not even once. Her constant breathing, her small hand clenching my shirt, it's so… calming.

What is it about this girl? She seems to be able to bring my mind to a land of peace, no matter where and when. If she's there, she would make me feel like I have no problems in life. It made me wonder how my life would go if she's not there for me. Would I be as happy as I am now? Or would it be much, much different? I'm pretty sure nobody in this planet could replace her, she's one of a kind.

Damn it, why the hell am I thinking of such things? I might be drunk, too. Yeah, I drank a lot at that previous party, so my brains might not be functioning properly.

Closing my eyes, I could only hear her breathing along with mine. It wasn't long until I fell asleep. With this state of mind, I could only rest easy, knowing that tomorrow would be another happy day greeting me with open arms.

No, I don't have to worry anymore. I remembered last year when I was talking with Yui, she stated that she would always by my side.

I don't have any worries anymore.

I have her by my side.

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><p><strong>Currently addicted to Man vs. Wild. Sorry for the survival stuffs, I can't help it!<strong>


	43. Accidents Happen

**Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews! Sorry for the late update, my uncle borrowed my laptop for a short while.**

**Anyways, enjoy the chapter. Oh, Chihaya and Ritsu will have to wait, I have not the idea how the confession would go. In the meantime, have a fluff. Or whatever it's called.**

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><p><strong>Click!<strong>

"Unngh…"

I woke up to the sound of what seemed to be the shutter of a digital camera. Opening my eyes slowly, I could feel someone was by my side.

The person sleeping beside me was Yui, clinging to me like I'm a stuffed toy. I immediately sat up, remembering the night before. In a bit of panic, I turned my head towards the earlier sound I heard.

There stood Tainaka, holding a camera with a smirk on her face. The rest of the club, plus Chihaya and Yamanaka-sensei was behind her, the same expression on their faces.

"I don't even want to know how the both of you ended up like this." Chihaya said, shaking his head.

"I can explain." I stated. "But I need that picture deleted first." I pointed to the camera in a threatening way.

"No, you tell us what happened first." Tainaka negotiated.

Sighing as I pressed the palm of my hand to my face, I slowly stood up, careful not to wake the sleeping beauty up while trying to regain my awareness.

"Fine." I muttered. "Yui was drunk last night, she drank my beer without me noticing."

"So you took the chance while she's drunk-"

"Let me finish." I cut off sensei's comments. "Don't make assumptions when the storyteller's not done with his tale yet. I carried her to the couch to let her rest, but she didn't want to be left alone." Walking towards the window side, the morning sun greeted my view. "I have no other choice but to accompany her."

"Seems legit." Chihaya commented sarcastically, flinging an imaginary piece of dirt from his nail.

Sighing yet once again, I turned my head to the group. "I've told my story, it's up to you guys to believe it or not."

"Okay, I believe you." Tainaka stated.

"Now, the picture." I reminded.

An annoying smirk crept up the tomboy's face. I just knew she won't play fair.

"No way." She stated.

I have to take it by any means, Tainaka's a master in blackmailing, I really didn't want that picture to be spread around school like peanut butter on bread.

I feigned a facepalm and a sigh to fool her. With a swift motion, I thrust my arm towards the camera, intending to grab it.

It's not really effective, since I just woke up. Plus, I haven't had a dose of caffeine yet. Tainaka took a step back, throwing the device to Chihaya, who caught it gracefully. The chef ran towards the dining room with me following close behind him. The others were all over the villa, heading towards random directions to wait for a pass from the sarcastic man.

Just before I caught him, he passed the camera to Kotobuki, who was on standby at one of the bedrooms. Changing my direction, I saw Yuuki blocking my path. I prepared myself to get him out of the way.

Grabbing his arm and his shirt, I threw him towards the floor with little force, careful not to seriously injure him. I knew he won't be that easy to get knocked down, he did a perfect flip after he was unbalanced, and his body didn't even touch the soft carpet ground. It was like one of those moves in the final fight of MGS4.

At least he's out of the way. I continued my chase back towards the living room, the place where Kotobuki previously headed. I noticed Yuuki was chasing me with a happy and excited look on his face. Damn it, this guy really enjoyed actions.

I passed by a few people along the way, but I ignored them. My priority was to catch Kotobuki.

I snatched the camera from her eventually. Turning it on, I was greeted by a text on the LED screen.

_No SD card detected._

As if it was mocking me, the text was huge, filling the whole screen. Annoyed, I turned my head towards the others. Akiyama held the SD card in her hand, sticking her tongue out before running away. I ran up to her, chasing my new target.

Tanigawa was by her side, running with his annoying smile still on his face.

It's quite a rarity for me to get up from bed and started chasing people, this had got to be the most random thing I've done in my entire life.

The couple split up at a corner, with Tanigawa going left and Akiyama right. The purpose of this movement was unknown, but I decided not to think about it. Consequently, I turned to my right, chasing after the woman with the black hair.

Managing to grasp the small storage device, I inserted it to the camera I obtained from Kotobuki. Akiyama just stood there with a smirk, as if she had completed something to be proud of. Deciding to ignore the absurd act, I turned on the camera.

Again, it mocked me with a large white text on the screen.

_No images found._

"Son of a…" I muttered, turning my head towards Akiyama, who was still smirking.

"I'm afraid it's too late, Yamamoto-san." Tanigawa appeared behind his girlfriend, showing me an SD card.

"Clever…" I immediately understood their modus operandi. "You switched the cards while you both were running away."

"That is correct." The gentleman stated with his trademark smile. "Now the picture is everywhere, and it won't be an easy job to delete them all."

The others showed up, showing me their phones with the picture on the screens.

Feeling sleepy and tired, I let out a defeated sigh. "Fine, I lost."

The club laughed and giggled, feeling really satisfied. Well, all of that aside, I was rather impressed by the teamwork. This surely wasn't rehearsed before, it was all spontaneous.

"Morning… what are you guys doing?"

The sudden voice stopped the others from their laughing spree. Walking inside the dining room with a messy hair, Yui rubbed her eyes whilst letting out a yawn.

"Oh, crap…" I muttered.

"Morning, Yui! Had a good sleep?" Kathy decided to change the subject. The others hid their phones, not wanting her to see a certain picture.

"I don't remember…" She raised her head, looking up to me. "I was with Hiromi-kun out in the terrace last night, then suddenly, I woke up on the couch."

She didn't remember? That's a huge relief, actually. I couldn't imagine how wrong that stunt I pulled last night was.

"You friggin' drank my beer." I explained to the airhead. "Then you got drunk, I had to carry you inside. I laid you on the couch, then you fell asleep." I just hope she would buy it. Yui knowing what really happened that night was the last thing I needed.

"Really?" Yui looked at me with a surprised expression. "I don't remember at all!"

"That's not how the story really goes…"

Damn it, Kotobuki! That's not necessary!

"Come again?" The airhead didn't hear it, thankfully.

I glared at the commentator of unnecessary things.

"No, nothing." Kotobuki stated, maintaining her usual gentle smile. It seemed she was invulnerable against my glares.

What a way to start a morning…

Breakfast was pretty different than yesterday. It was more 'love-filled' with the newborn couple, Yuuki and Nakano, each eating happily like in those cheesy romance movies. Fortunately, I resisted the urge to flip this goddamn table due to the lovey dovey stuffs they did.

After replenishing my energy with the necessary nutrition, I'm able to temporarily relieve my caffeine withdrawal with a cup of coffee. It's always nice to have coffee in the morning, it kicked your senses awake with the power of a mule's kick.

"So, that's what really happened last night?"

I reluctantly turned my head towards the voice, which belonged to Akiyama.

"Like I've said before, it's up to you to believe it or not." I replied, feeling a bit annoyed to the fact that she brought up something I didn't want to recall.

"I believed you." She stated, taking a sip of her tea. "But it's not you that's the problem here."

"You mean you don't believe Yui was drunk?"

She reclined on her chair, letting out a content sigh. "Believe it or not, that girl's good at acting." The bassist stated.

"No, she's drunk, I could tell. No way in hell I would be wrong."

"Well, you drank a lot at the party, right?"

I couldn't deny that the effects of the beer might have made my observation skills a bit dull. I guess she had a point.

"There are two speculations here, and it's up to you to choose one." Akiyama pointed her finger at me, looking a bit cheerful than usual.

"Whatever. It's no use thinking about it anyway, just a waste of time." I muttered.

It was a bit disturbing to think that Yui was acting all that time. I didn't even want to consider in speculating why she was acting all along.

Shaking my head, I cleared my mind with such thoughts. I'll just think that she's drunk, end of story.

The sun was on a roll at grilling us slowly with its powerful rays. Standing in the sands in this temperature, it made me wonder how it would be if I were to be stranded in the Sahara desert. I decided not to play at the waters today. Instead, I sat on the mat like usual, smoking the last of my cigarettes. Chihaya got dragged by Tainaka, she stated the reason of the arm yanking pretty clearly:

"You're in the villa all day! That'll make you get old faster!"

Of course, just sitting on the villa's comfortable chair isn't going to make one's aging go faster. Tainaka was just tossing a random fact she made up. Magically, the lazy chef agreed to play today. I could easily guess why he decided to do so, but I didn't think I would state it due to obvious reasons.

"It feels very different from yesterday."

I turned my head towards the woman who made the statement. Kotobuki sat there with her usual smile, looking at the group. Curious, I decided to ask.

"What do you mean?"

"The atmosphere. It's so much different than yesterday, when Tanaka-kun isn't dating Azusa-chan."

"So you're saying a relationship could alter the atmosphere?" A voice piped up beside me. Lying down on the mat was Chihaya, relaxing his thoughts by closing his eyes.

"It might be possible." Kotobuki stated.

"The atmosphere could only be altered with the weather. For example, if the clouds blocked the sunlight, it would give a feel of gloom and depression. Love did not do any of this, it might be just the sun shining brighter than the day before." I explained.

"That's… pretty sad. I pity you for having no feelings, Hiromi." Chihaya said with his usual tone. A giggle escaped Kotobuki's lips.

"Logic is truth, it's always like that." I replied.

"No, not always. There's always something that defies logic, something so powerful that we can't see with our own eyes which could make you happy." Chihaya sat himself up, a serious look on his face. "I don't know what it's called, but I believe it exists."

"Since when did you believe in such stuff?" I asked the chef.

"Since…" He locked his sight towards a certain tomboy, who was playing happily with the others. Tainaka's laughter could be heard echoing in this huge outdoor space. Somehow her laugh sounded the happiest of all.

"Nevermind… forget it." Chihaya muttered, lying back down.

It was pretty obvious if you were to observe closely. But then again, this guy's not really good in terms of hiding his own secrets.

"Oii, Chihaya! Get in here, you lazy-ass chef!" Tainaka was cupping her hand over her mouth, commanding the peach haired man to play with the others.

"I'm too old to play with brats, I think I'll pass." He shouted back.

I could see Tainaka was a bit annoyed, even from this distance. She ran- no, sprinted towards our direction in a speed that could match Sonic the Hedgehog himself.

"I said, come in he- Whoa!"

Unfortunate events could occur when you least expect it, that's what people said. I now believed that statement, since I've seen it with my own eyes. Tainaka tripped on her way here, flying towards the chef in high speed. I could see a flash of a panicked face of the drummer before she collided with Chihaya.

"Oww…" came a moan from behind me.

Pressing the palm of my hand to my face, I let out a sigh for the nth time since I've joined the club. I should've made a tally to keep a record of my facepalms, I might be able to break a world record here.

Turning my head, I saw Tainaka on top of Chihaya. The trip-victim was rubbing her head, and the chef was looking a bit in pain.

"You guys alright?" I asked, though I knew they were. Accidents like these weren't lethal, and the chance of serious injury was close to zero.

"I'm good." Chiaya groaned.

"Your lips, there's blood on it." I stated, warning the chef of his small injury. I couldn't see Tainaka's face, her back was facing me.

"No big deal, I'll live." He stated. "You alright, Tainaka?"

The tomboy kept her position on top of the chef, not moving even an inch. I could only make out that she's placing her fingers on her lips.

"Oi, Tainaka." Chihaya repeated, a tint of pink on his face.

"Wha- oh, I'm alright." Tainaka muttered, getting up and turning 180°, walking away like nothing happened. I caught a glimpse of her face as she did so. A flustered expression, and a clearly visible blush was on her face.

"Ritsu, are you alright?" Akiyama ran up to her friend along with the others. "Wait, your lips are bleeding!"

"I'll go and get a first aid kit." Kotobuki stated, standing up before scurrying away towards the villa.

The two got their lips bleeding. It doesn't take a genius to know what had happened. With Tainaka's and Chihaya's reactions, it was pretty obvious.

I turned my head towards the chef. He was looking away, hiding his face. Though not really visible, I could see a blush glowing on his face.

"I think I know what happened in that short moment of epic accident there…" Kathy stated, walking towards us along with Yuuki with a smirk on each of their faces.

"Shut up." Chihaya spat.

With a satisfied look, my two old friends laughed whole-heartedly. It's a rarity to laugh at this certain sarcastic man, and they really took their time. The others looked at them with a confused look, save Tainaka who kept quiet, hanging her head down in embarrassment, and Tanigawa, who kept his usual smile. I guess this guy knew what happened as well.

The day ended with an accident that might change the fate of these two people.

Okay, that was cheesy. No, fate got nothing to do with this. It's just an accident, pure and simple.

After the club was all fresh and well with the help of Kotobuki's huge bath, it was time for dinner. Chihaya was the head chef, like usual. But this time, he wanted to be alone due to a reason he didn't want to state. We sat around the dining table, waiting for the food to be ready. Tainaka was still in her trance, and I could see her blushing a bit every now and then, probably due to remembering the previous events.

"Ricchan, why don't you help him?" Kathy asked the tomboy.

"What? But uh- he said he didn't need any help." Tainaka stuttered.

"Well, even though he said that, doesn't mean he would reject a helping hand." The blonde stated.

Tainaka weighed on her options, before muttering something and standing up, striding her legs towards the kitchen.

After the tomboy was gone, Kotobuki gave Kathy a seal of approval.

* * *

><p><strong>Untold Story #7: Awkward<strong>

Goddamnit.

Why the hell did she tripped anyway? There were no obstacles that could make her get off balance. I guess that's just her character, too focused on her tasks that she became oblivious of her surroundings. Kind of like the Tank in Left 4 dead.

Constant footsteps drew my attention. Turning my head towards the noise, I saw Tainaka coming inside the kitchen.

"What are you doing?" I asked in my usual tone.

"I uh- came to help you." She replied.

I observed the tomboy closely. It was obvious that she was trying to avoid eye contact with me, and her legs seemed to be quite restless. Another thing to add was the blush on her face. It was pretty clear, people would recognize it easily with just a glance.

"Alright, get the water boiling." I stated, breaking the brief moment of silence.

I could feel it, the awkward atmosphere as we cooked. I always hated this kind of feeling, it made my cooking a lot worse.

"About earlier…" Tainaka started in a low voice.

"What about it?"

"I'm sorry." She muttered.

"No need, it was an accident." I stated. "They happen all the time, don't worry about it."

"But- I might have stolen your first… kiss." The tomboy stated the last word in such a low voice, that I could barely hear it.

"What does a first kiss mean anyway?" I asked her. "It's nothing life-changing or important."

"Well yeah… but-"

"I'm thankful enough to not collide with your forehead, I might crack my skull if that happens."

With that statement, Tainaka was back to her usual self. She frowned at me, trying to make a comeback.

"Shut up, Chihaya! Don't make a sarcastic remark when the situation's awkward!"

"That's my point." I stated bluntly. "I hate awkward situations, and I wanted to end it."

She stared at me with a blank look, before smiling widely. I must say, though, that smile was perfect. I never thought she would be able to pull a sweet smile like those of a lady. This was the first time I saw her looking so sweet, and I'm sure I won't forget it.

"Yeah, well, I hate those situations, too." She punched my chest playfully. "So let's get back to our usual selves, shall we?"

"Couldn't agree more." I smiled, locking eyes with Tainaka.

I might have stated that a first kiss isn't important. But then I thought, I'm rather thankful that my first kiss was with her, the woman I loved.

* * *

><p><strong>I made a sketch of Hiromi. It's in my profile, check it out if you're interested.<strong>


	44. Behind Blue Eyes

**WARNING: This chapter contains blood and gore. Reader discretion is advised.**

**Update: 19-09-2011 9:25 AM. Fixed a few minor mistakes.  
><strong>

* * *

><p>After all this time, I've always wondered what this particular friend of mine was hiding. Tanigawa Kaito, a man of mystery. He might be smiling all this time, stated that it was natural for him to do so. But on this certain day of summer, I found out about the dark secrets that lies behind that smiling mask of his.<p>

It was just a regular summer day, and school was just a week away. I walked around the lonely sidewalk for a refreshment of the mind. The rest of the club was dead tired due to the previous training camp, they were mostly replenishing their weary bodies and minds in their respective houses.

The one who didn't was Tanigawa.

I saw him as I turned into a corner. He was just walking around the town, with his usual smile still intact. Deciding to greet him, I increased my walking speed, catching up with him.

"Yo." I greeted whilst tapping his shoulder.

Tanigawa turned his back, revealing his trademark smile. "Good afternoon, Yamamoto-san." He said brightly. "Taking a walk?"

"Yeah." I replied. "You?"

"I am planning to get some lunch, would you like to come? My treat."

A free lunch would be good. "Sure."

We walked side by side towards a small ramen shop. The streets were quiet, really quiet. Most people would spend their holiday going out of town or stay at home. That's why I liked walking around in the summertime, it's always quiet.

Taking a seat, we ordered our meal of choice. It was then that Tanigawa decided to kill time with a friendly chat.

"So, what do you think of the club so far, Yamamoto-san?"

"All is well. And Yui's getting better day by day." I answered, taking out a cigarette from the pack.

"Ah, that's good to hear." He looked away, observing the crowd around him. "If you don't mind, could you tell me how did you feel when they found out of your real identity?"

I stared at him, unsure of what his purposes are in asking that question. It was suspicious, he wasn't looking at me for one, and the look on his face was dead serious, unlike his usual cheerful self.

"I was relieved. I never thought I would be accepted despite my unordinary background." I replied.

"Is that so…" the gentleman muttered.

A sudden noise snapped us away from our conversation. I turned my head towards the source, it seemed the owner of the place just got knocked down by two men in black. One was bald, and the other had a spiky hair. It reminded me of Reno and Rude from Final Fantasy 7.

"Like hell we're going to pay!" Baldy shouted, kicking the old man on the ground.

Just as I'm about to stand up, Tanigawa stopped me.

"They're from the Kanzaki family. They have guns." He warned me.

"Doesn't matter." I stated.

"Then I'll help you. The bald one's yours, I'll take the other one." The gentleman stood up.

We each took a cup of hot, boiling, green tea. Walking towards the pair of yakuza, I called out to them to gain their attention.

"Oi, sunshine!"

Just as the duo looked up to us, they were greeted by the burning liquid of pure green tea. As a plus, we threw the wooden cup to them, damaging their heads slightly.

"Fuck! IT BURNS!" one shouted, his face cringing with pain.

We took the chance and ran up to them. With a swift motion, we performed a simultaneous roundhouse kick to their solar plexuses. They flew away with grace, before their backs connected with the wall, inflicting extra damage.

Tanigawa ran up to them along with me. We took their guns out from their coat pockets to ensure safety.

The spiky haired looked up to his attacker. He widened his eyes and started to tremble in fear.

"You- you're… young Tanigawa!" He exclaimed, backing up against the wall.

Without another word, Tanigawa knocked him out with a swift kick to the head.

"Young Tanigawa…?" I turned my head to the gentleman, confusion ran through my mind.

"I'll explain later. For now, let's clean up this mess."

We called the police, and let them took over. Our plan for having a lunch was canceled due to unforeseen events. After making sure all was well, we left the place with our hungers still intact.

"I'm sorry for our ruined plan, Yamamoto-san. I'll treat you next time." Tanigawa stated.

"Don't worry about it."

"Now, I believe it is time I explain things to you."

We stopped at a nearby park, sitting on a bench. The tree behind us provided enough protection from the scorching sun above, so it's not really a bother.

"I am, in fact, the only son of a yakuza boss."

I was surprised when he said that. I never thought this man would hide such secrets, and covered it with his plastic smile.

"Nobody knew of this?" I asked him.

"No, you're the first one to know." He gazed at the sky with a serious look. "My father is currently ill, his life might cease anytime. I am to continue his job in keeping the family in one piece."

"Let me guess. You don't want to."

"You are correct." Tanigawa turned his head to me, smiling his usual smile. "I do not want to be involved in such things. Doing criminal activities for a living, who would want that?"

I'm pretty sure I didn't want it.

"The Kanzaki family is a big one, they carry guns everywhere, and is pretty well-known among the yakuza groups. They have always been bugging us, and it's only a matter of time before we lost."

"You're fighting a losing battle."

"Indeed." The gentleman let out a tired sigh. "I could care less about them. I really don't want to be involved in this."

Inside of me, I really wanted to help the man. But how? Should I take out the whole Kanzaki family? But then, Tanigawa had to take over the family business.

I'm not able to think clearly right now, I'll consider it later.

"For now, let's just let it be. But with that act we pulled before, it won't be a surprise if they plan on getting revenge." I stated. "Observing your actions before, I'm pretty sure you could take care of yourself."

"Don't worry about me. I've been trained with the family in self-defense and firearms, handguns mostly."

"Good. I'm sure you'll be fine. Well then, I'll see you around."

"Fare thee well, Yamamoto-san."

I walked away, heading towards my home.

As I arrived at my house, I immediately collapsed on the couch, closing my eyes to let my body and mind rest for a short while.

So all this time, this man was hiding his true identity with that smiling mask of his. He was pretty good, after a year of hanging around with him, I couldn't notice any suspicious actions. Tanigawa was obviously trained in concealing secrets, no doubt about it.

I'll take a nap for the time being. When I woke up, I'm sure I would have the juice for thinking straight.

…

_Ring ring ring_

The sound of my phone, along with the vibration woke me up. I opened my eyes, taking a glance at the clock. 8:00 pm. I slept for quite a while.

Taking my phone, I saw that the caller was Tanigawa. I flipped it open, pressing it against my ear.

Just before I could mutter a single word, I was greeted by the panicked sound of the gentleman.

"Yamamoto-san! Mio-san has been kidnapped!"

My eyes widened after I heard those words. I shook myself awake, knowing I'd have to act fast.

"Give me the details." I stated.

"I just received a report from one of the family's men. It seems the Kanzaki family wanted to avenge the earlier humiliation."

Damn it! I thought they were going to go for Tanigawa. Fucking cowards!

"I'm going to need your father's gear, Yamamoto-san. I'll be arriving at your place in a few minutes." Tanigawa stated in a serious tone.

"Got it. The front door is unlocked, get upstairs and to my father's room at the end of the hall. Grab a book called 'The Call of Cthulhu' from the top shelf and it should open a secret passage. I'll be waiting inside." I explained to him.

"Understood. Thank you, Yamamoto-san."

With that, he hung up. I ran towards the front door, unlocking it. I then sprinted upstairs, towards father's secret room. Damn it, I never thought this would happen! The ones who kidnapped Kotobuki were low life criminals, and I had no problem wasting them all. But these guys, they were professionals, trained just for these kinds of activities.

Arriving at the dark room, I prepared the necessary gear for Tanigawa.

Sneaking suit, Five-Seven, the Shadow Mask, and a combat knife.

Hearing footsteps, I turned my head towards the entrance. Tanigawa ran up to me, looking really panicked.

"Here, gear up." I gestured towards the equipments.

He nodded, putting on the suit with haste.

As he did so, I decided to do a little briefing.

"Alright, we're going to go in hard and fast-"

"No, you're not going with me, Yamamoto-san." He stated.

I frowned as I heard this. No way in hell I would just sit down in here while he dodged bullets.

"You can't do this alone, don't be ridiculous!"

"This is all my fault! I don't want you to get involved in something I foolishly did!" Tanigawa shouted." It's my fault for trying to be normal, now Mio-san's life is on the line, because of me!" He slammed his fist onto the wall, cracking it. The expression on his face showed how stressed he was: anger, sorrow, panic, fear, pain, regret. It was an unbearable mix of unpleasant emotions, he could go insane with all the guilt on his mind.

"I know, but this is not the time to think about such things! Let's focus on Akiyama's safety, then you can do whatever you want!" I yelled at him, knocking back some of his senses. "I'm coming with you, no matter what."

Tanigawa hung his head, before slamming his fist to the wall yet again. Taking a deep breath, he raised his head, all the previous emotions were gone.

"I understand. I'm sorry." He stated, taking yet another deep breath. "Now what's the plan?"

"We're going to use a tactic really common amongst the mercenaries. The Aggro."

"Aggro? Like in Army of Two?"

"That's right. Since you're skilled only in handguns, I'll leave the sneaking to you."

"Understood. Now let's go."

The Aggro tactic was a simple, yet effective for an army of two like us. The tactic was to have one soldier to distract the enemies with a high firepowered gun, while the other sneaked up to them from an alternate route, taking them out while they're distracted

We used the Impala as the means of transportation. I decided to bring an M4 carbine, with a sawn-off as my secondary weapon. As a plus, I brought two high explosives grenades. This should be enough to gain their attention, giving Tanigawa some time to sneak up on them.

"Where's the place?" I asked as I started the engine.

"Out of town, it's pretty far from civilization." He showed me the map.

"Got it."

We blasted away with Tanigawa trying to get used to the mask. He was a quick learner, it shouldn't be a problem for him.

"One thing to note, Tanigawa…" I started, breaking the silence.

"What is it?" He turned his head to me with the mask equipped.

"There's no such thing as mercy on the battlefield." I bluntly stated.

He stared at me for a few seconds, before looking forwards. "Don't worry, I'm well-prepared for this."

"Good." Sometimes, talking about the battlefield reminded me of my father. Chuckling, I remembered one thing he taught me. "My father once said: in order to protect someone you love, you'd need to sacrifice some things." I turned my head towards the gentleman. "In this case, you need to let go of your humanity in order to save your girlfriend."

"Believe me, I'll sacrifice anything to protect her."

I turned my head back, smiling. "I'll keep on to those words."

We arrived at our destination after an hour ride. It was dark, not a single sound could be heard. The place was an abandoned building, all beat up and cracked. Strangely enough, the electricity was still on, powering the little lights inside the building.

"Alright, the basic of Close Quarters Combat is surprise attack. I'll go there, guns blazing, while you try to find an alternate route. Got that?" I said to the gentleman.

"Understood."

"The current whereabouts of the subject is unknown. We have to snatch one up and interrogate him, after we're sure of her location, we'll split up. Now let's go."

We sneaked towards the old building with haste. Gaining entrance, it seemed like an abandoned office of some sort. To my right was a dead end, and to my left was a hallway. I explored the place, looking out for guards. I found one eventually. He was all alone in a room, facing the entrance of the little space with an MP5 in his hands. Seeing there was no other way to sneak up behind him, I decided to make a simple distraction. Knocking the flimsy walls, it produced a sound loud enough for him to notice. Hearing his footsteps getting closer, I prepared myself to surprise him.

His weapon entered my sight. With a swift motion, I grabbed it whilst kicking his knee. He fell down in a flash, grabbing his knee in pain. Quick as a thunder, Tanigawa pressed his knee against the guard's chest, and pulled out his knife, placing it in front of the victim's throat.

"Where's the girl?" He asked in a threatening tone.

"N-not… telling you…" The guard struggled.

Tanigawa stabbed his knife on the guard's shoulder. The victim let out a scream of pain and agony.

"Spit it out!"

"NO!"

Pulling the knife out, Tanigawa thrust it towards the man in black's other shoulder.

"AARGH! 3rd floor! She's on the 3rd floor!"

"Thank you for your time, sir."

And with that, Tanigawa ended the man's life by stomping on his throat.

"Let's get the plan going." Tanigawa stood up, cleaning his bloodied knife.

"Alright, I'll see you on the 3rd floor."

We split up, hoping the both of us would be safe during this mission. I aimed my carbine forwards, keeping my eyes peeled for guards that might noticed the earlier screams.

I spotted one on my way. His back was facing me, giving me a perfect opportunity for a surprise attack.

I drew my sawn-off, sneaking behind him. As I reached a close enough range, I called out to him.

"Oi, sunshine!"

He turned his back. Before he could even register who called him, 24 pellets shattered his brains all over the place. Good God, I loved shotguns.

The sound of that gunshot should attract more of these bastards soon. I reloaded my trusty shotgun and holstered it, switching back to the M4.

Two of them appeared from the stairs. I fired my carbine in short bursts whilst moving to cover.

It wasn't long before the sounds of the MP5 died down. I peeked out of my cover, greeting a sight of two dead bodies with a hole on each of their heads.

Good job, Tanigawa. I ran towards the stairs, heading up towards the 3rd floor. But as I arrived at the 2nd floor, I noticed an obstacle was blocking the stairs leading to the next level.

"Damn it, got to take the emergency stairs." I muttered, turning away.

As I ran towards the emergency stairs, I saw a sea of dead bodies to my left and right. It seemed Tanigawa went ahead.

I was greeted yet by another wave of men in black. They fired away as they saw me, making me jump towards a reliable cover with reflex. I returned fire blindly, not peeking out of my cover. I might have got one, I could hear a painful grunt coming from them.

"Flank him!" I heard one of the man shouted.

Crap, this is bad. I need to get out of here.

"AARGH!"

Just before I moved to another cover, I could hear a scream of a guard. It was a scream of pain, and panic.

"Wha- who's there!" The other one shouted.

"Come out, wherever you a- AAAAH!"

There was only one left now. I took the chance to peek out of my cover. The lone guard was frightened, sweat poured from his forehead, eyes wide, arms trembling. He spun around, aiming his gun everywhere, waiting for the beast that he feared to come out.

"I- I need backup! Guys!" He shouted on top of his lungs. "…guys?"

Complete silence.

"You're all alone now." came Tanigawa's voice from somewhere.

"No, it can't be! There are 30 of us!"

I was caught off guard by that statement. I didn't waste any of those guys, Tanigawa did all the job by himself. Oh my god, that man's lost it! He took out 30 men all by himself in a short time, without being spotted!

"30 or 300, that doesn't matter. You are all the same, no matter the numbers." said the voice. "Weak, cowardice, unintelligent. You are all pathetic. Now, prepare to die."

Before the last guard had a chance to speak, Tanigawa came down from the ceiling, stabbing his knife on the man's throat. Pulling the knife out, he stood tall at the center of the sea of dead bodies with bloodied suit and knife. It was an image of terror, a monster, killing anyone that stood on its path. It gave me the chills just my staring at the man. He was not the same, he was not the Tanigawa I knew. A demon had possessed him, making his body an instrument for the devil's act.

I've never been so frightened in my entire life.

No, I shouldn't worry over him. He may have lost his senses now, but I'm sure he'd be back after seeing his girlfriend.

"Yamamoto-san."

I walked out of my cover, reloading my M4. "Yeah?"

"I'm sorry, it seems I've ran out of ammo." He turned to me, rubbing his head.

I pressed the palm of my hand to my face. Of course you would, you've just wasted the entire building all by yourself! And why did he apologize anyway? This was my first time hearing someone saying 'sorry' in the midst of battle.

"Grab one of the goon's sidearm, it's a 9mm." I stated.

Tanigawa did as he told. He reached out to the coat pocket of a dead body, snatching a 9mm pistol from it. He checked the remaining bullets, then headed out towards the stairs.

We reached the 3rd floor. Tanigawa and I stacked up at the door, getting ready to breach. He nodded his head, signaling me to open it. With swift movements, I kicked the door in, only to be greeted by a sight that could make the yakuza son's blood boil even further.

There stood another man in black, but different from the others. He had an aura of a boss, an aura of control all over him. But appearance was not the case, what's important was that he held the subject hostage, with a knife over her throat.

Akiyama was crying, she was in fear and pain.

The old man chuckled menacingly. "Young Tanigawa… how amusing. You took out my men all by yourself." He pulled the knife closer to Akiyama's throat. "But you can't take me down. I am the boss of the Kanzaki family! You can't even touch-"

**BANG!**

A round was fired from Tanigawa's newly acquired gun. Without much of a delay, the old man's life ended with a new hole on his forehead. He fell down to the ground, setting Akiyama free.

"Mio-san!" Tanigawa ran up to his girlfriend.

"Kaito-kun! Oh, thank God!" Akiyama was pretty scared, she couldn't even stand up. They took their time in reuniting, while I kept guard at the door, just in case someone decided to creep up.

I had to admit, that shot was marvelous. In a hostage situation, people tend to panic. But in this case, Tanigawa got a hold of himself, making his aim undisturbed by his feelings. And a swift action like that was an effective way to dispose of your enemy. If he listened to the boss a little longer, his feelings would be troubled even further, screwing up his aiming.

After a minute of comforting, the two were ready to go.

"We'll take the emergency stairs, there are no disturbing sights there." I stated, remembering Akiyama's weakness to blood.

Tanigawa nodded, supporting his girlfriend's footing.

"Stay behind me." I began to walk out with the two following behind.

It was quiet. Dead quiet. I guess he really did take out the whole gang. Damn, it's scary how that man could do something like this when he's enraged.

We were greeted by the moonlight once again, relieved to have made it out alive and well. The mission was a success, the subject was safe, the boss got killed, and we didn't have any injuries. It was moments like these that made your heart at ease, knowing you succeeded in a task you've dedicated yourself into.

We loaded the gears into the trunk. Tanigawa took off the mask and suit, stating it could make Akiyama terrified by the splashes of blood on it.

"Alright, let's get you guys home." I stated after I was in the safety of the Impala. Starting the engine, I blasted towards the city.

Tanigawa and Akiyama were at the back seat. The former hugged his girlfriend comfortingly.

"Go ahead and rest, Mio-san. You must be tired." He whispered.

Akiyama kept crying happy tears, knowing she's safe now. Tanigawa just smiled as he rubbed the woman's back comfortingly.

But that smile… that was not his usual smile. It was a sad one, expressing regret and pain. I knew what he was going to do after we got Akiyama to safety.

Should I stop him? Do I have the right to do so?

I'll think of this after we're home. For now, Akiyama's the top priority.

After an hour of driving in the middle of the night, I parked the Impala in the garage of my home.

"Mio-san, we've arrived." Tanigawa shook the woman gently.

Akiyama opened her eyes slowly, letting out a yawn. I decided to let myself in, preparing some things for their comfort.

Let's see… they must be hungry, for one. And all that dirt and dust from the building must've been really uncomfortable.

The duo entered hand in hand, looking as weary as ever.

"Akiyama, clean yourself up in my father's bathroom." I stated, remembering dad's got a much larger bathroom. "Grab my clothes in my room for you to use."

The black haired woman nodded, heading upstairs.

"You, too, use my bathroom." I pointed to Tanigawa.

"Very well. Thank you, Yamamoto-san. I won't be able to do the mission alone." Said he, bowing a perfect 90° to me.

"I'm just doing my job as a friend."

Honestly, I doubted that statement he let out. He could do it alone, seeing his performance before. The purpose of my involvement in the mission was only to smooth things out for him.

Tanigawa strode his legs upstairs with a tired mind and body. He never looked so exhausted before, it was quite a sight.

After making sure the two were upstairs, I headed to the kitchen. A classic meal for refilling your hunger meter, curry, would be great. And so, I began taking out the ingredients from the fridge.

I weighed on my options as I was alone in the kitchen. Tanigawa would leave for sure, there was no doubt about it. He felt guilty for getting Akiyama involved in his life, by foolishly trying to blend to the normal people. He was in a much worse situation than me before we met the club. I'm just the son of a famous mercenary who had died on the battlefield, but Tanigawa was a son of a yakuza boss, who was still breathing and active. That made him in a tougher spot than I am. I thought I was the only one to have such rotten luck, but Chihaya's words were true, there's always someone worse than you.

What should I do? Decisions, decisions…

Before I knew it, the meal for two people was ready. I took the plates to the dining room, waiting for the couple to come down.

The sight of Akiyama, along with Tanigawa greeted me. I noticed the oversized shirt worn by the former, it was on official merchandise of Minecraft, the Three Creeper Moon shirt I bought online.

"What are these green things, Yamamoto-kun? They look kind of cute." Akiyama asked me, looking at the shirt.

"They're called Creepers. They explode when you get near them." I explained.

Akiyama cringed after she learned the behavior of this particular destroyer. This was the first time I heard someone classifying the Creeper as 'cute'. I found Akiyama's definition in that word rather amusing.

"Anyways, eat up, I'm sure you guys are hungry." I gestured the two towards the table.

"You don't have to do this, Yamamoto-kun" Akiyama hesitated.

I let out a tired sigh. What's with women these days? "Just eat it." It was then I remembered a line my father often said to his guests. "If you hesitate in my house, you'll die from starvation."

Tanigawa let out a laugh, finding the sentence to be funny. "Good one. Well then, thank you for the treat, Yamamoto-san."

The gentleman pulled the chair for his girlfriend before taking a seat himself. Hey, even in the middle of the night, one should not lose their gentlemanly attitude, don't you agree?

"This is great!" Akiyama stated after taking a spoonful. "You haven't lost your touch, Yamamoto-kun."

"Indeed, your cooking is marvelous." Tanigawa agreed.

"The meal's just decent, it's because you're hungry, your mind fools you into thinking the food's great, even though it's nothing special." I explained the science of the brain.

"No, I don't believe you, the meal's great, end of story." Akiyama stated.

"Whatever…" I muttered. What I said was the truth, actually. If you're hungry, even a live scorpion would taste good.

The duo ate in joy, having small talks with each other. It was then that I felt it, a sudden feeling of melancholy. Tanigawa would leave this night, Akiyama would be left alone without the person she loved always by her side.

I didn't want that. I have to stop him.

"Well, that was a great treat." Tanigawa commented after finishing his meal. Akiyama nodded in agreement.

"Now get some sleep. I'm sure you guys are tired." I stood up, taking the dishes.

"I'll help you with that." Akiyama offered me her help.

"No, just shut up and get some shut-eye." I coldly said.

Sighing, Akiyama placed a hand on her hips. "Why did you always reject a helping hand?" she asked.

"None of your business, now bug off." I always hated to be helped by a woman. Their job was to sit down and let the men do the work.

"Alright, alright… grumpy man." The female bassist muttered. "Where do we sleep?"

"In my dad's room, there's a double bed there." I stated, heading towards the kitchen.

"What? You mean… the two of us, in one bed…?" Akiyama lowered her voice.

"If you're not smart enough to understand, then yes, that's what I meant." I stated.

"B-but-"

"Just go." I cut her off.

"Alright, fine." Akiyama and Tanigawa then walked upstairs, with the former walking a bit shaky due to her anxiousness.

I could let one of them sleep in my room, but there was a chance that the Kanzaki family had a spy following us. Call me paranoid if you'd like, but I couldn't take the risk of getting Akiyama in danger yet again.

As I was done with the dishes, I remained scarecrow at the front door, waiting for a certain someone to descend the stairs.

I knew what was on his mind. That guy would abandon his current life as a student, and get away to ensure our safety. I knew Tanigawa for a year, there was surely no mistake in my speculation.

After about two hours of waiting, slow, silent sounds of footsteps could be heard. I turned my head towards the stairs, greeted by the sight of Tanigawa looking a bit too melancholic.

"Well, it seems I cannot fool you, Yamamoto-san." He stated, smiling sadly.

"You're not going anywhere." I stated, locking eyes with him.

"I'm sorry, but you can't stop me. I've decided to bring this instrument of bad luck somewhere else." He said, tapping his chest.

"Think of the others, Tanigawa. I'm sure they don't want you to go." I reasoned.

"No, I'm better off away from them. That way, I wouldn't repeat the unwanted tragedy that occured before."

"Then you leave me no choice." I cracked my fists, ready to take on him by force.

Tanigawa narrowed his eyes, getting ready for a clash.

"So be it."

As if on cue, I dashed towards him, preparing myself to bring him down.

My plan failed. Tanigawa dodged my attempt to grab him, and countered by sweeping my leg off the ground, knocking me down. He was really agile, just before I could recover, he grabbed by arm and initiated an armlock.

"Damn it, think of Akiyama's feelings, Tanigawa! You don't want to leave her alone!" I shouted through gritted teeth, trying to fight the pain on my arms.

"I know, I'll surely hurt her. But it's for her own safety." He said calmly. "Don't worry, the eternal flow of time will heal all wounds."

"LIKE HELL IT WILL!"

The booming voice coming from behind made us turn our heads. There stood Akiyama, her hands balled into fists, shaking. Her expression was of rage and sorrow, fresh tears poured from her eyes.

"Mio-san…" Tanigawa muttered in surprise, letting go of his grip.

"You're going to walk away, for my safety?" The woman walked slowly towards her boyfriend. "Well, screw that! Not even time could heal my feelings if you were to leave!" She then buried her face on the gentleman's chest, crying her heart out. "Please… don't leave me alone. I don't want you to go… please…"

I stood up, shaking the blood back into my arms. Damn, that man had quite the strength.

Tanigawa stood there, looking flabbergasted. Snapping out of his trance, he hugged his lover comfortingly.

"I'm sorry… Mio-san." He muttered, rubbing Akiyama's back.

"Listen up, Tanigawa. You might want to leave for her safety, but the price is too high in doing so. You'll hurt her feelings, as well as the others, even me. I don't want you to walk away, you're a good friend." I stated, rubbing my arm to ease the pain. "Stay. Stay and protect her. It's your job as her boyfriend to keep her safe, no matter what. Sure there might be threats coming every now and then, but if you're by her side, I believe she would always be safe."

Tanigawa weighed on his options, before regaining his usual smile. "I understand. I will stay and protect you, Mio-san." He stated, gazing towards his girlfriend with an assuring look.

Akiyama raised her head, her eyes red. With a sweet smile, she jumped on her boyfriend, giving him a tight hug.

"Thank you… thank you, Kaito-kun." She muttered. "I can't imagine how it would be if you left. It scared me just by thinking about it."

Akiyama giggled happily, knowing her lover would always be by her side. It was a great sight and all, but it was 3 in the goddamn morning. Shouldn't these guys get some sleep?

"That's good to hear. Now go and get some rest. Everything will be alright when you wake up." I stated.

"Shall we?" Tanigawa offered his hand after they broke apart from the hug.

Akiyama nodded with a smile before taking his hand. The couple ascended the stairs hand in hand, disappearing from my sight slowly.

I let out a contented sigh, knowing everything would be alright from now on. My plan didn't work out quite well, but fortunately, Akiyama was there to help me out. If she didn't appear, I would've been knocked unconscious, and Tanigawa would go to a far away place, disappearing from our lives.

I went upstairs to my room, remembering I haven't cleaned up yet.

After a quick shower, I collapsed on the bed, feeling physically exhausted. I closed my eyes and let drowsiness took over.

Everything went really well with Tanigawa. He proved his courage in rescuing the love of his life, and even took out the whole Kanzaki gang all by himself. I was worried that he might lose his sanity with all that killing. Taking someone's life wasn't as easy as you thought, but he did it like it was just another day. It seemed the rage he held against the Kanzaki family took control over his body. But in the end, I'm relieved he was still the good old Tanigawa.

"All is well." I muttered before going to sleep.

Tomorrow would be a better day for all of us, with Tanigawa's problems resolved.

I'm sure of it.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's note: Well, that's Tanigawa's secrets for you. I kept thinking to myself: 'Tanigawa seemed really mysterious, but why?'<strong>

**After three cups of coffee, a pack of cigarettes, and a house built in Minecraft, I came up with this idea. It's all spontaneous, it wasn't planned the first time I started this story.**

**Oh, and I've updated my Photobucket album. Finally, I made a sketch of Tanigawa.**


	45. Acceptance

I opened my eyes slowly, greeted by the orange glow that infiltrated my room.

Sitting up, I took a glance at the clock. It was 3:00 pm. Good god, I slept like a dead man.

The events yesterday felt like it was all a dream. It's amazing how an incident like that could come and go like a flash of thunder.

After a splash of cold water to the face, I descended the stairs to fix myself a cup of coffee. As I was downstairs, I saw a certain smiling man sitting on one of the chairs of the dining room, a cup of coffee in front of him.

"Ah, good morning, Yamamoto-san. Or should I say, good afternoon." He greeted me brightly.

I took a look around the room. "Where's Akiyama?" I asked after the failed attempt to spot her.

"I took her home. Her parents were really worried, it took quite some time to explain it to them."

"So, how did it go?" I poured the coffee Tanigawa had brewed to a cup.

"Surprisingly well. I was worried that her parents might be angry at me for what I'd bring to their daughter, but they accepted me." The gentleman let out a sigh, which was pretty rare for him to do so. "These days, people would learn that it's hard to trust someone. But Mio-san's parents, they believed me."

"That's good to hear. Her parents are good people, then." I concluded, taking a seat myself, facing Tanigawa.

"Indeed. And their kindness gracefully passed down to their daughter."

"How about you? Have you talked to your father?" I asked.

"I have. Mio-san insisted to come along, said that she could smooth things out for me." Tanigawa's lips curled up, his eyes narrowed. "She did. Mio-san easily convinced my father to let me stay out of the family business."

"That easy?"

"That easy." Tangiawa repeated. "Honestly, I never thought she would be able to convince my stubborn father. Now I felt really guilty for having that thought in my mind."

Akiyama was pretty amazing. Hell, they said a stubborn father was your worst enemy when it comes to gaining freedom.

"My father decided to buy me a new house. He said that I would be better living alone." Tangiawa said before taking a sip of his coffee.

"That's good, actually. Living alone could be lonely at times, but it'll make you learn new things for maintaining a house." I stated, remembering the first time I was alone. "Where's this new house?"

Tanigawa pointed to the wall behind me. "I'll be living next to you."

Oh yeah, the house beside me was unoccupied.

"I see. When will you start moving?"

"I'll start tomorrow."

"I'll help you, then."

Tanigawa raised his hand. "No, I can do it myself. You have done enough, Yamamoto-san. I do not want to trouble you even further."

"Trust me, after going to the battlefield, I really need something 'normal' to do." I stated.

"Hmm… you have a point. Very well, I'll let you help me." He said with a smile. "Well, I guess I'll get going. I need to pack up."

Tanigawa stood up, heading towards the entrance with me following.

Before he left, he turned to face me.

"Thank you, Yamamoto-san, for helping me in ensuring the safety of Mio-san yesterday. I could not do the mission all by myself."

He then offered his hand.

"Hey, I'm just doing my job." I said with a smile, shaking his hand.

After the gentleman left, I went towards the garage to wash my Impala.

As I was inside the garage, though, I was surprised to see it sparkly clean.

"The hell?"

It was pretty damn dirty yesterday, how the hell could it be so clean?

I opened the trunk to check on the equipment we used yesterday. There was none.

I quickly ran towards father's secret room. Once there, I saw the suitcase that held the gears placed on the table. I opened it and saw the sneaking suit and mask, along with the Five-Seven. They were cleaned, no doubt about it. I took a closer look at them, failing to find a single spot of blood on it.

As I was amazed by the detailed cleaning, it didn't take a minute to realize who did this.

"Tanigawa…"

That man was busy taking care of Akiyama and his family problems, and yet he went through the trouble of maintaining my car and the sneaking equipments.

"Not bad… not bad at all." I chuckled.

The very next day, a pickup truck arrived with all of Tanigawa's things.

"That's all of it?" I asked the new owner of the house.

"Yes, I'm certain." He answered brightly, a bit excited to move in.

"Alright, let's get to work."

We moved the cardboard boxes one by one. The building had the same interior design as mine, so I knew the place well. The place was really, really dead. A ghost would find this place a comfortable space to live in.

After half an hour of dusting and sweeping, we headed out to take a break.

It was a bit hot outside, but not as stinging as midsummer. Only a few weeks for the leaves on the trees to die and fall down, the air became a bit cooler.

I took a cigarette from the pack and lit it. After a tiring work, a smoking break could easily replenish your lost energy.

"It's rather fun, cleaning a really dirty house." Tanigawa jovially stated.

"You should see when the work's done. A pretty damn good feeling, seeing a place so clean and shiny." I said, puffing on my smoke. "I take it this is your fist time doing chores?"

"You are correct. I kept trying to convince my father into letting me do the chores at home, but he didn't allow me to. He said it was women's work." Tangiawa let out a sigh, narrowing his eyes. "I disagree to that statement. Men should be able to do anything, even though not mastering it."

"A jack of all trades." I stated.

"Indeed."

As the conversation died down, we noticed a figure- no, figures, walking towards us. It was none other than the club, the whole club at that.

"Heey!" Akiyama greeted us with high spirits from afar, waving her arm wildly.

"The hell are they doing here?" I asked no one in particular.

"I have no idea, but Mio-san knew of my plans for today." Tanigawa stated, looking a bit bewildered.

"So she gathered the club for a visit. Smart."

"That is my assumption, yes."

Within a few seconds, they were standing in front of us, each with a smile on their faces.

"Hey, Kaito-kun." Akiyama greeted her boyfriend.

"Mio-san, what are you doing here?" Tangiawa asked.

"Well, you told me you're going to move in today, so we decided to help." The bassist stated, gesturing towards the others.

"This is boys work, you girls are just going to slow us down." I stated.

"Now that's just rude. Don't think of us girls as weaklings, Yamamoto!" Kathy retorted.

"I don't even think you're a girl…" I muttered, putting out my cigarette.

"Say what?"

"Nothing."

"Well, despite Yamamoto-san's disapproval, I suppose it's quite rude to ignore their intentions to help. Very well, you can help us." Tanigawa stated, regaining his smile.

"Alright!" The club cheered simultaneously.

Tanigawa was too soft. This kind of work required high strength, what if one of the girls got injured? Ah, well, I'm sure he put some thoughts on this, he was quite the careful guy.

We split into groups, each with their own set of tasks. I got paired with Yui, with the task of clearing the ceilings of spider webs. Obviously, Yuuki was with Nakano, taking the responsibility of cleaning the bathroom. Tainaka, Kotobuki and Kathy swept the floor.

"Spider-man, spider-man, does whatever a spider can…" Yui began to sing as she swept the ceilings with me by her side.

"…just how old are you?" I asked the airhead, bewildered of her childish act.

A giggle escaped her lips. "It reminds me of my childhood, Hiromi-kun."

"Whatever…" I muttered, whacking yet another cobweb.

We continued our work until noon. It was a bit tiring for all of us, and thankfully no one managed to get injured.

"Alright, it's done!"

With Tainaka's announcement, the cleaning session ended. It was a bit magical how an old beat up house could turn into a shiny, sparkly, whole new place.

"Everyone, I need your attention please." Tanigawa announced after admiring our work. He seemed a bit… off. "Firstly, I want to thank you all for what you've done today. The job went much smoother with the help. So, thank you very much." The gentleman stated, bowing to us.

Some rubbed their heads, some smiled widely. I decided to keep quiet, trying to deduce his acts.

"And there's something I wanted everyone to know…" He narrowed his eyes, focusing on the floor with a melancholic look on his face.

So he decided to tell the truth to them…

"Okay, stop. We knew, Tanigawa." Yuuki interrupted.

Tanigawa jolted his head towards my old friend, looking surprised.

"Mio-chan told us." Kotobuki stated, her usual smile intact.

"I see… does that mean-"

"Don't worry! We don't judge people by their titles!" Tainaka exclaimed with an assuring, yet cheerful look.

"If you ever need us, we'll always be there for you. Don't you worry anymore, Kaito-kun." With a bright smile, Akiyama took a step towards her boyfriend. Her hand cupped Tanigawa's cheek comfortingly.

Tanigawa stood there, his eyes wide, mouth agape. His expression told me that he didn't expect this to go smoothly. For once, his assumptions were wrong.

"Th-thank you… Mio-san, everyone…" His voice started breaking as he grabbed Akiyama's hand gently. I could see his eyes were getting watered by the fresh tears that came out of nowhere.

It was then that he let out a voice I didn't expect him to make.

It was a sob.

With a comforting smile, Akiyama hugged her boyfriend tightly while he cried happily to her shoulder. I was rather taken aback by that action, never once in my life I'd thought to see that guy crying.

Kathy gained our attention by waving her hand, then pointed outside. We nodded in unison, leaving the couple alone.

"Well, that was quite a view." The blonde stated after we were outside, smiling happily.

"I feel happy for that guy, this must be the best day of his life." Yuuki stated, stretching his limbs.

"There's not a better feeling than being accepted." I stated, taking out my Zippo and a cigarette, sitting on the side of the street.

"If what you said is true, why didn't you cry when you knew that we accepted you?"

Yui's question made me froze. The flame coming out from the lighter haven't touched the tip of the cigarette as I kept my posture, staring at the airhead.

"What kind of question is that?" I muttered, cigarette still on my lips.

"Just wanted to know." She said, smiling.

Finally, I succeeded in lighting my cigarette. "I'm not a sensitive person." I replied.

"Hmm…" Yui hummed to herself, nodding.

I was happy, but like I said, I'm not a sensitive person. I tend to not let feelings took over, it could lead me to unexpected behavior, out of character, or whatever it's called. I didn't want that.

After a few words exchanged with the fellow members of the club, Tanigawa came out with Akiyama, hand in hand. The former was smiling, more brightly this time, and the latter looked as happy as ever.

"The sun's starting to set, methinks we should get going now." Yuuki stated.

"Very well. Once again, thank you for your help, everyone." Tanigawa thanked the club, bowing yet again.

"Don't mention it, we're always happy to help!" Yui exclaimed, tapping Tanigawa's shoulder a few times.

"I'll be going, too, Kaito-kun." Akiyama said before a swift peck on her boyfriend's cheek. "I'll see you soon."

After we exchanged goodbyes, I put out the cigarette I've been smoking to the portable ashtray. Standing up, I decided to ask the gentleman's condition.

"How are you feeling?"

Tanigawa turned to me, revealing his trademark smile. "I am well, thank you for asking." He then chuckled. "I'm sorry for the earlier scene. I've made the situation really awkward."

"You couldn't help it." Stretching my limbs, I let out a yawn as I saw the setting sun.

"Yes, it's quite amazing how our feelings could influence the way we act. I never thought I'd let out a tear."

"You learn new things every day." I stated, heading towards my house. "Well, I'll see you around, Tanigawa."

"Farewell, Yamamoto-san."

Deciding to get some nap, I took a shower before collapsing on the couch.

As I closed my eyes, I began to think about Yui's earlier question. Why didn't I cry? Am I really that emotionless? Should another man were to take my position, I'm sure he would shed at least a single tear of happiness. My father said that emotions weren't important, and I believed him. But was it really okay to not have emotions at all?

The questions drifted around my head like a log in an endless, looping river, but my weariness caught up and drove me away to the dream world.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's note: I read the earlier chapters of this story and noticed how messed up it is. I might fix them soon.<strong>

**Oh, and there's a poll up in my profile, check it out.**


	46. Remembering Admiral Ackbar

**Author's note: Fluff!  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>sssssSSSSSS…<strong>

"Oh, FU-"

**BOOM!**

My equipments, experience, foods, resources I've gathered, they were all scattered on the stone ground. The screen displayed a red, transparent screen, with a huge text saying 'Game Over'. I clicked 'Respawn' then closed the game. Sighing, I stood up, feeling down due to the random Creeper attack in the depth of the mines.

My phone rang, snapping me out of my thoughts on how to avoid sudden blowing up like that. I took it and glanced at the small screen. It was Yui. Flipping it open, I pressed it against my ear.

"Hello?"

"Hiromi-kun, there's a festival at the park nearby this night. Would you like to come?" came the cheerful voice from the other side of the line.

"Who's coming?" I asked, just to make sure that it's not only the two of us.

"Everyone's coming. So, are you?"

I could tell by the tone in her voice that she wanted me to be there, and was rather curious of the answer I'm about to give. Noting there was no other thing I wanted to do, I agreed.

"Sure. What time?"

Yui let out a small, excited giggle before answering. "We'll meet up at 7:00pm. I'll see you there. Bye!"

With that, she hung up.

I shot a quick glance of the phone's clock before closing it. 5:00pm, better get ready.

After a quick shower, I put on my plain army green t-shirt along with a pair of jeans. I'm always the simple man in terms of clothing, I only wore what's necessary for the situation.

Heading out, I locked the front door and checked on my neighbor. Tanigawa's house was empty, it seemed he went on ahead.

Walking through the quite festive street was quite enjoyable. There were many people to analyze, and it could improve my skills in microexpressions. Some went together as a family, genuinely happy, some as a couple, jovially walking hand in hand. Most of the women wore yukata, and the opposite gender was like me, plain and simple, though a few of them wore a jacket, which was unnecessary in this temperature.

I arrived at the festive and colorful park. There were a few stands here and there, which failed to catch my interests. I went to a less crowded spot to wait for the others. My watch showed that it was 6:45pm, 15 minutes to the promised time.

Unfortunately, the endless crowd of people heading this way disabled me from lighting a cigarette. I had no choice but to remain scarecrow.

"Hiromi-kun?"

A small voice coming from behind me made me turn my back. There stood Yui, complete in a red-white flowery pattern yukata.

"Have you seen the others?" I asked her, getting to the point.

"No, I just got here." She shook her head, raising her eyebrows.

My phone vibrated, stopping me from asking further questions. A quick glance to the screen told me that the caller was Yuuki.

"Yeah?" I said after flipping my phone open.

"Hey, sorry I can't go with you guys." Yuuki began. "Ma's got some friends over, she told me to stay for… y'know, someone to brag about. So yeah, sorry for my absence."

"Alright, I'll pass the message. Have fun." I then hung up. "Yuuki won't be coming." I announced to Yui.

Before she could utter a word, her phone rang.

"Mio-chan? Where are you?" She asked the other side of the line.

I couldn't hear Akiyama's voice due to the excessive noise produced by the people around us. But what I concluded from Yui's expression was that the bassist couldn't come along.

"Okay, it's alright Mio-chan. I'll see you later!" Yui said, hanging up. "Mio-chan can't come." She stated, turning her head to me.

"Hmm…" I hummed to myself.

This is suspicious, the club never fail to fulfill a promise. Two members in a row, and at the same time, announced they can't come.

For the third time in this day, my phone vibrated yet again. It was Kathy.

"Kathy, where the hell are you?" I started the questioning.

"Whoa, chill down, Yamamoto. I'm just calling to say I can't go with the others, could you please pass the message?" She said.

Before I could question her even further, Yui's phone rang. Again.

It was then it hit me.

"Are you planning something, Kathy?" I asked in a threatening tone.

"What? It's just some family matter I have to attend." She stated.

"Not you, I mean are you planning something against me?"

"The hell are you talking about? No, of course not. Why?"

Damn it, this girl's too hard to interrogate.

"Nevermind. I'll pass the message." I said, hanging up.

It was then that Yui said to me that Tainaka couldn't come. After a few seconds of delay, both of our phones rang yet again. Nakano and Kotobuki stated they would be absent for the event.

Yep, that's it. This is obviously something they set up. I believe in many things, but coincidence isn't one of them.

With that in mind, I remembered Admiral Ackbar's words…

It's a trap!

I sighed as I pressed the palm of my hand to my face. The club's true intentions of doing this act were still a mystery. Then again, I'm not intending to search for an answer, it would be a waste of my precious energy.

"How strange…" Yui muttered, placing a hand on her chin.

She didn't know of this plan, I could tell by her expression that she was genuinely confused.

So the others set the both of us up. Pity me.

"Oh well, I guess it's only the two of us, then. Let's go, Hiromi-kun!"

After letting out those words, Yui took my hand and started dragging me into the crowd.

Damn the club. Damn them all to hell.

"Look! A shooting range!"

Dragging me towards a certain stand, Yui excitedly giggled whilst running.

"What are you, five? This game is for kids!" I complained, letting go of her grip.

"Oh, come on, Hiromi-kun! The prizes are cute!" She grabbed one of the toy rifles, paying the owner a hundred yen for 5 shots.

Various prizes were set on a rack. All of them were stuffed toys. Cats, bears, probably anything that defined 'cute' for the girls.

Yui pulled the trigger, targeting a certain prize. It was a small stuffed toy resembling a kitten. A smart choice. Since the toy gun didn't have much of a kick, that prize should be easy to take down.

But, despite its feather-like weight, it was really small. You'd need a good aim for this one.

"Ah, I missed again!"

The 4th round missed. I sighed before I decided to help her.

"Relax you shoulders, hold your breath. The barrel of this rifle is bent five degrees to the right. That means you must aim slightly to the left of the target." I said while fixing her stance. "Most importantly, don't pull the trigger. Squeeze it."

I took her hand to get her into the right position of holding a gun. As I did so, I noticed she was blushing, and her hand trembled.

"Relax. You're going to miss if you're shaking." I stated, letting go after the stance was right.

"O-okay!" Yui stuttered.

Well, just by a quick glance, I could see that she was going to miss the shot. She was shaking like a sniper on his first job.

"Hyah!" Yui shouted before firing. My speculation was right, she missed the target.

"See? You would hit the target if you kept calm." I said to her. "And shouting won't help, you move too much muscle just by opening your mouth."

Yui put the rifle back into the stand, laughing nervously whilst rubbing her head.

"Sorry…" She muttered.

"Why did you get nervous all of a sudden? You were fine at the first few shots." I asked, a bit curious.

"Well- it's because…" The airhead blushed, twiddling her thumbs.

"Is it because it's your last chance of getting the prize?"

"Y-yes, that's it! That must be it!" She pointed to me, looking a bit panicked.

I raised an eyebrow, confused at her weird behavior. "Don't worry, that's a common feeling." I stated. "My father told me that when it's your last bullet, you'd feel really anxious when you're about to fire it."

"Is that so…" Yui hung her head, looking a bit disappointed.

Huh? Was she expecting a different answer? I found my response right enough, it contained useful information that could expand her knowledge.

After a few confusing seconds, she shook her head and went back into her high-spirit mode.

"Well, let's just walk around and see what we can find!" The airhead exclaimed, walking away with me following behind her.

Three hours to midnight, the park was still packed full of people. Kids, teenagers, adults, men and women, they were all here. It was as if the whole population of Japan got crammed down of this tiny, colorful place.

In a place like this, there's a great chance of a kid getting lost, or separated from his/her family.

That theory was proven to be right. As I walked with Yui, I saw a crying little kid on a corner. The people around were oblivious of the little guy, they walked away like there was nothing.

Yui and I approached him, intending to help.

"Hey, you alright, kid?" I asked, crouching down.

"Mommy…" He sobbed. "I lost- my mommy…"

"I'll call the security." Yui stated, turning away.

"Stop. You don't have to. Those guys won't help in a crowd like this." I ceased Yui's movement.

Before another word muttered, I stood up and lifted the little lad.

"Wh-what are you doing, mister?" The boy was a bit in fear.

"Now call out to your mom." I said, lifting him higher in the air.

"Wa-waaah! I'm scared! Mommy!" He frantically shouted, gaining everyone's attention.

"Your mommy won't hear you if you kept whispering like that." I stated, trying to get him to shout louder.

"MOMMY!"

"Yutaka-kun!"

An elder female voice stopped the kid from crying. From the crowd, came out a woman, probably in her mid 30s. She ran up to me as I put the kid down, making him run towards his mother rather quickly. They reunited, with the boy crying at his mother's arms.

Despite its low level of difficulty, this method had quite the consequences.

"You imbecile! What did you do to my son?" The woman stomped angrily towards my direction. If this were a cartoon, her face would be red, and a cloud of smoke would come out of her ears.

I kept quiet, not wanting to get involved in a verbal fight with a middle-aged woman.

Without much of a delay, she threw her hand back.

Incoming…

**SLAP!**

Ouch.

"I hope that'll teach you a lesson, young man!" She yelled before turning away, carrying her son.

The people around us were quite amused. Some were taking pictures, some impolitely laughed their guts out.

"Hiromi-kun, are you alright?" Yui asked me, a worried look on her face as she took a closer look at the damage caused by the woman.

"I've been shot twice before, an old lady's slap isn't worth worrying over." I said, pushing her hand away from my face. "Let's get out of here, I hate being the center of attention."

"O-okay."

We walked together to a quiet place. It was somewhere in the park that wasn't contaminated with festive colors. We stood on a higher ground than our previous location, so the festival could be seen from this spot.

"Why didn't you let the security look for his mother?" Yui asked me, a slice of watermelon in her hand.

"It won't be effective. In a crowded place like that, searching for an individual is going to take a very long time." I said, stepping away from Yui as I lit a cigarette. "You can hear a kid's voice in a rather large radius. If he shouted loud enough, even the whole festival could probably hear it. Thankfully, his mother wasn't far away. My ears could bleed if he increased the volume of his shouting even further."

Yui nodded understandingly, taking a bite off the fresh red fruit.

"But if you help him that way, people will see you as a… what is it… um, weirdo." She said.

"Does it even matter?" I turned my head to her, puffing on my smoke. "I don't care what people think of me, at least that kid found his mother again."

Yui hung her head, finishing her slice.

"…matters to me…"

"Come again?" I asked, not hearing the previous statement.

"N-nothing. Nevermind." She quickly reacted, followed with a nervous laugh.

I decided to ignore it, knowing it would be a waste of time to figure out.

As I put out my smoke, Yui approached me with a smile.

"You're always helping people, aren't you, Hiromi-kun?"

"If I could, yeah." I stated, looking towards the festive part of the park below us. "I don't know why, maybe it's something in my blood."

"Well, whatever the reason, don't stop doing it."

I turned my head to her at that statement. Yui was looking at me with a caring expression. She smiled softly, her eyes were like polished topaz, gazing directly into me. For some unknown reason, I smiled. Widely.

"Of course I won't."

We gazed at each other for a few seconds, enjoying the brief moment of silence. It was then that the sound of a small explosion snapped us out.

Turning my head towards the source, the sky was colored with green sparks, followed with blue, and red. The fireworks launched from below us, where the festival took place. From out spot, the view was amazing. No one around to block our sight, and a clear view of the sky.

"Amazing!" Yui exclaimed.

Gazing at the sparks in the sky, I was somehow… inspired. Never once in my life I've been lifted into high spirits with some lights and colors. But now, it seemed really beautiful.

Am I changing? Is it really that easy for someone to change?

I threw away the thought. It's useless to think of such things, might as well enjoy the view.

As I turned my head to my companion for the night, though, I found it, something that amused me even more. The bright lights in the sky were nothing compared to the blissful view I'm about to witness.

Yui smiled happily, bathing on the colorful lights from the fireworks. Her eyes were reflecting those colors, making it quite a magical sight. Those magnificent orbs were lively, like it could give someone a spark of happiness just by looking at them.

I stared at her with wide eyes. I hadn't seen Yui like this before. Had she really always been this… beautiful? It was as if she was an angel that descended the earth. All this time, I saw her as an eccentric airhead. But now… I was rather astonished.

No, there's something wrong with me. There's no way I'm saying she's beautiful, maybe that slap renders my brain into functioning a bit weird. Yeah, that must be it.

The fireworks ended with a bang. The last one was large, loud, and colorful. The clapping sounds could be heard below us, ending the festival.

"Ah, it's over."

Yui was a little sad as the show ended. Knowing it was time to get going, I decided to walk her home.

"There's still next year. Alright, let's get you home, your sister might be worried." I said, walking away with Yui following me.

Covered in silence, we walked side by side on the lonely streets. It was probably around 10, the streetlights were the only reliable source of light at this time.

Without a single word muttered, Yui grabbed my arm, hugging it.

"The hell are you doing?" I asked her, feeling a bit uncomfortable.

"I don't know, feels like doing it." She stated, turning her head to me with a smile.

"Whatever…" I knew protesting would be useless. I'm always fighting a losing battle when it comes to her, I don't know why.

I don't mind the contact, but this is unbelievably uncomfortable.

Even though I said that, it was actually something new to me. Feeling her warmth on my arm… maybe 'uncomfortable' was not the way to describe it. Weird, maybe?

I noticed my heart was beating in an overly fast pace. Damn it, what the hell is wrong with me?

We walked like that for quite a distance. People passing by commented unnecessarily on us, saying we're a cute couple or something along those lines.

You're getting the wrong idea, people! Goddamnit!

Thankfully, we didn't pass a lot of people. Yui and I stood in front of the Hirasawa residence after a few minutes of walking. The airhead let go of my arm, took a step forwards, then turned to face me.

"Well, thank you for today, Hiromi-kun! I would be alone if you didn't come." She said, smiling brightly.

"Yeah, sure." I answered quickly, trying to avoid unnecessary conversation. "I'll see you around." I then turned my back, ready to walk home.

"Wait, Hiromi-kun!"

Turning my back to face her yet again, I was caught off-guard.

She approached me rather quickly. Once in front of me, she stood on her toes, and planted a quick kiss on my left cheek. I could feel the warmth of her lips as it touched my face. My eyes were wide as she did that, I did not see that coming at all.

I stood there, unmoving. I had not the foggiest idea on what to say. Before I could came up with a word, Yui smiled sweetly, and giggled before running away to the safety of her house.

After the sound of a closing door, I finally snapped out of my dreams. Still in a state of confusion, I ran my fingers along my left cheek. The warmth was still there, as if it would remain forever.

Shaking my head a few times to get my bearings, I walked back to my house. Bewildered and dazed, I couldn't get that certain scene out of my head. Why did she do that? Just to thank me?

I don't think I've done anything special to deserve that kiss. No, nothing at all.

But then again, Yui was a unique girl. Hell, hugging someone frequently isn't something a normal person does.

Yeah, that's it. That's just her way of thanking me. Damn it, you don't have to do that. Now my heart is pounding at an unstable rate, and I can barely think of anything else beside that earlier stunt you pulled!

"Damn it…" I feebly muttered.

Somehow a part of me thought that act was rather… enjoyable. Her way of sharing intimacy was quite to-the-point, but it was, like I said, enjoyable.

No, that's wrong. That's just wrong. Get a grip, Hiromi!

Fortunately, I reached my house without accidentally walking towards an open manhole. I knew well that your ability to maneuver would decrease in a great amount if you had a lot on your mind.

After a quick shower and a smoke, I threw my body to the bed, feeling the comfortable sheets yet again.

As I perform an attempt to sleep, though, my scumbag of a brain decided to remind me of the earlier events. Feeling a bit irritated, I threw away the thought by putting on some music from my computer.

Yet another useless attempt. Even the great voice of Andy Williams couldn't drive me into the dreamland.

Oh, well, looks like I won't get some sleep tonight.

I blame you, Yui!


	47. Hiromi's Signs of Love

"Mind explaining that act you guys pulled?"

It was after school at the usual place where we would chat and get together. The summer vacation had just ended, and with newly refreshed minds, the students happily carry out their usual routine of going to school.

Crossing my arms, I stood at the front door of the music room. With the exception of Yui, the members were all there, each with a smug smile on their faces. It was the first day of school, and yet my mind was filled with an endless cycle of annoyance, confusion, and a bit of curiosity.

"What act?" Yuuki asked innocently, failing to tell me a lie.

"Cut the crap, now spit it out before I start breaking legs."

"Alright, alright, we can't fool this guy, he's too sharp." Kathy gave up, still smiling smugly.

"Why the hell did you guys do that anyway? I've seen not a single good reason to do so." I asked, a bit curious, a bit annoyed.

"Hey, don't look at us, the mastermind's over yonder!" Tainaka said, jerking a thumb towards her left.

Turning my head towards the direction Tainaka's pointing at, I saw a certain smiling man, sitting there with his arms folded, a cup of tea placed in front of him.

"Well, I believe I should explain things to you…" Tangiawa began, reclining back. "The purpose of that action was simple: to repay you."

"Repay me?"

"Yes, you have helped me many times before, so I decided to return the favor."

I sighed as I put up my first facepalm for the day. "I don't need a refund…"

Tanigawa raised his eyebrows, feigning surprise. "What's wrong? You like not a night together with Hirasawa-san?" asked he.

"It's not like I hated it, but…" I took a step towards the window side, remembering the events that occurred that night.

"…but?" Tanigawa pressed even further.

Should I be thankful? I don't know, if I didn't come that night, I wouldn't have seen that other side of Yui. In fact, I really wanted to see it again, somehow I wished that feeling of bliss would return sometime soon.

"Forget it." I stated, letting out a sigh.

The girls giggled. Their brains probably got wild, imagining what happened on that festive night.

"So, how did the night go?" Akiyama decided to ask me directly.

"Peachy." I sarcastically muttered.

"Please tell us, Yamamoto-kun." Kotobuki demanded, her expression was of curiosity and excitement.

"No." I refused.

"I want to know as well." Nakano stated, also curious.

"Then ask her." I pointed to the door after hearing footsteps approaching the room.

The door creaked open, revealing a certain airheaded girl known as Yui, looking as fresh as ever. Of course, she was her usual self, not like that night at the festival.

"Hey, every- um, why are you pointing at me, Hiromi-kun?"

I let out a sigh, feeling really, really, not in the mood. "Nevermind…" I muttered, dropping my arm.

"Yui, how was your night with Yamamoto?" Tainaka asked the just-arrived member.

"It was fun!" Yui replied, closing the door before setting her bag down on the bench. "Too bad you guys weren't there, the fireworks were amazing!"

"Really? Well, maybe next year we'll come." Kathy commented. "Sorry for not being able to attend the event, we were really busy!"

"It's okay, I had a great time with Hiromi-kun! Right, Hiromi-kun?" The lead guitarist turned her head to me, smiling cheerfully.

"…yeah." I feebly muttered, initiating my second facepalm for the day.

The girls giggled in unison, bathing in the joyful feeling of victory in defeating me.

As usual, we spent our time with tea and cakes. If a normal person were to come here hoping for some music, they would be either confused, angered, or ran away in fear seeing us act like this. Somehow the name 'Light Music Club' wasn't really befitting for a group of lazy people like these.

"The cultural festival is close, huh…"

Yui's statement broke the silence, and gained our attention at the same time. Looking towards the ceiling, the airhead was lost deep in her realm of happy thoughts.

"Yep, we should practice more often." Tainaka nodded her head.

"You're not one to talk." I stated, taking a sip of my coffee.

Before the president managed to make a comeback, Yui interrupted by letting out a sigh with a contented look on her face, as if she imagined that she was lost in a maze of cakes.

"It's fun, playing in front of that many people." She stated, smiling a bit wider. "I can't wait to play in the next cultural festival!"

The look on her face told me that she really, really wanted to perform in front of the students in the upcoming school festival. A part of me wanted to support her, but I dismissed the thought, since it was none of my concern.

"Don't worry about it, you're going to be on the stage in a few days."

"Yeah, thank you, Hiromi-kun!"

I know it's none of my business, but for some reason, my brain told me to encourage her. I don't know what the hell is wrong with me, I've been acting really weird lately.

The activities for today (of course, just relaxing and having tea while munching on cakes could be called an activity) ended with the members going separate ways. Tanigawa headed out with his girlfriend for an after school date, so I was accompanied by my two trusty friends, Kathy and Yuuki.

"Yui was pretty excited in performing on stage."

The foreigner gazed at the sky whilst walking, she wore a satisfied look, which was a clear indicator that she felt really happy for one of her female friends.

"I don't get it, why would you be happy being the center of attention?" I asked the psychology expert.

Kathy chuckled a bit before explaining. "That's not entirely the case, actually. Yui was not excited for the attention, but for the… uh, how do I explain this… She's excited in bringing 'happiness' to the audience."

I was a bit confused, but able to comprehend "You mean she loves to entertain the audience with music?"

"That's it, that's the word." Kathy thrust her index finger towards me. "That's the thing that excites her."

I see… so I've been wrong about the purpose of a live concert all this time.

"Hirasawa is quite a unique girl." Yuuki piped in. "She's an adult now, but her heart is of a child. Pure and innocent."

"Can't agree more." I muttered. "Heh, reminds me of the early days of teaching her the guitar."

"Do tell." Kathy was interested.

"Not much to tell, but I guess that was probably the first time I've seen a girl so… amusing." I narrowed my eyes, focusing on the orange colored sky. Somehow it was a pleasant feeling, just by remembering those days.

Yuuki chuckled loudly, before breaking into a laugh. It lasted a few seconds before he managed to get a hold of himself.

"Oi, Kathy… isn't that…" he called out to the blonde, still chuckling while pointing towards me.

"Yep, that's definitely _it_." Kathy stated with an air of confidence.

"The hell are you guys talking about?" I asked with a mix of confusion and annoyance.

"Nevermind, forget it." Yuuki muttered, finally ending his chuckling spree.

I turned my head to Kathy with a demanding look.

"Not gonna tell you, sorry." She bluntly stated, a smirk planted on her face.

I'm not quite in the mood for thinking, so I decided to save it for another day.

With that in mind, I let out my favorite move since joining the club: a sigh, followed with a facepalm.

"Whatever…"

* * *

><p><strong>Author's note: This chapter is short, but I'll make up for it. The next chapter will be longer.<strong>

**And uh, I want to ramble like an old man for a little bit, so if you're not interested, move along.**

**Actually, the main reason I wrote this story was because of my unsatisfactory in high school. I am now a NEET, got dropped out at 11th grade. I have not much friends, I got bad grades… all of that was the reason I disliked school. Eventually, I was expelled due to my excessive amount of absence.**

**Over time, I realized that it was all my fault. If I had not been lazy, I would have a happy school life. I was only seeing the bad parts of school. So like Tangiawa had stated before: it's only a matter of perspective.  
><strong>

**So this story is actually my… vision of how high school should go. It contains one thing that I didn't experience back in my school days: fun.**

**I thought of the things I wanted to experience, and cram it all into a story. I was intending to write an original story, but I figured it would be useless, since I don't know where to publish it.**

**Instead, I used K-ON as the conductor. So I guess you could say I'm misusing this site, since the story isn't really focused on the characters of the show. Sorry for that.**

**I was really, really, doubtful at first. It's a rarity for a K-ON fic to have a guy as the main character. All I could see in the page was yuri fics. I imagined I would be hated if I were to publish this kind of story. But then I said, "What the hell, some may like it, some may hate it, I can't please everyone." And so, I published it.**

**It was quite nerve-wrecking. But as I saw the reviews, I was delighted. I don't think I've ever felt a greater feeling than that. You guys enjoyed my story. Your acceptance of my writing has blew away my unsatisfactory feeling of high school.**

**Touched, and amazed, I continued my work. I enjoy writing, but when there are people saying that my writing's good, makes me enjoy it even more.**

**So I want to thank you, the readers, for everything. You lift my spirits up when nobody else could.**

**Thank you. Thank you very much. I will not forget your kindness.**

**Well, I apologize for the lengthy note, but I've warned you, don't blame me :)**

**Until next chapter! And once again, thank you very much!**


	48. Panic Attack

**Author's note: Thank you for your encouraging words, it feels really good to have nice readers like you guys. Thank you, thank you very much.**

**Actually, I originally intended to add the festival to this chapter. For some reason, I decided to spilt it up.**

**Oh, and about Hiromi's mother, she's not really important for the storyline, but her fate will be explained.**

**Soon.**

**Maybe.  
><strong>

* * *

><p><em>chihaya: DIAMONDS.<br>chihaya blew up_

I snickered at the chat log. It was early night on Tuesday, and I had set up a Minecraft server for us to play. I was busy building things with Kotobuki until Chihaya decided that it was time for an adventure. I refused to go, since a house was a number one priority, so he went alone.

_mugi: random creeper attack! :D_  
><em>chihaya: dammit, there were at least 7 diamond ores in there!<em>  
><em>hiromi: gotta always watch your back. creepers everywhere<em>

After a brief moment of a broken heart, Chihaya reluctantly joined us in building.

_chihaya: say, the cultural festival's close ain't it?_  
><em>mugi: yes, a few days from now. are you coming?<em>  
><em>chihaya: yeah, don't wanna miss it<em>

I placed blocks of wood for the walls, while Kotobuki gathered resources. Chihaya just stood there, slacking around while killing chickens that passed by. As I continued my work, I was reminded of Yui's statement a few days ago.

_hiromi: i just hope yui will be able to perform…_  
><em>chihaya: say what?<em>  
><em>mugi: yui-chan is really excited in performing<em>  
><em>chihaya: ah, you're worried over her, how sweet of you, hiromi<em>

One of the advantages of online gaming is that you can't see the expression of other people. If I were able to see their expressions, I imagined it would be a smirk on each of their faces.

_hiromi: i'm not._  
><em>mugi: you are<em>

Now I'm annoyed. I think I should explain things to them.

_hiromi: i'm not exactly worried over her, it's just that she might be really depressed if she can't perform_

God knows how it would be if she were to fall into depression. I don't want to see her like that, it's just… not pleasing to the eyes.

_chihaya: don't worry about it, there's nothing to stop her in performing_  
><em>mugi: yes, it will be fine, yamamoto-kun<em>  
><em>hiromi: guess so… i'll take my mind off of it<em>

After the blocky house was done, we decided to call it a night. I shut down the server, not forgetting to back up the world files. All was well, I went up to get some shut-eye.

I guess they're right, there's nothing to worry about.

But I got a bad feeling about this…

The next day, I went to school without much of a different routine. Walking, hiking, meeting up with Kyon, then went to class.

It was quite nerve-wrecking to see that Yui's seat was empty as I went inside the classroom. In times when she's excited, she would appear earlier than me.

Crap, I do not like this feeling at all.

The students entered the class as time goes by. I did not see a certain airheaded girl as they came in one by one. Kotobuki, Tainaka, Tanigawa, Yuuki… they were all present.

"You guys seen Yui?" I asked the club before class started.

"I've been thinking the same thing… I didn't see her along the way here." Yuuki stated.

The others did not, too, much to my chagrin.

My phone vibrated as I was in a bit of panic. Taking it out of my pocket, I saw that the caller was Yui.

"Yui, where the hell are you?" I asked the other side of the line.

"Sorry, Hiromi-kun, I've caught a fever…"

"You what? The festival's in two days!" I was practically yelling at that point, what was the cause, I know not.

Yui coughed for a bit before continuing. "Hehe, looks like I won't be able to perform… too bad."

Damn it, I don't like that sorrowful tone of yours! Don't speak like that!

"I'll be there."

Without further ado, I bolted out of the school. It was quite terrifying how I could move so fast in times like these. The confused shouts of the members didn't slow me down at all, I kept running towards the Hirasawa residence without any other thoughts.

Why do I run? Isn't it just a regular fever? Why is this heart of mine filled with panic and fear?

I don't even try to think why, my feelings were wild as rye. Oh, great, now I'm trying to make words rhyme, just think about not getting run over, dear thoughts of mine!

I reached my destination after a tiring sprint descending the hill and through the crowded town. Gasping for breath, I knocked on the door.

"Coming!" came a voice from inside. It was little sister, her voice was loud, but full of worry.

The door swung open, revealing Hirasawa Ui in the North High sailor uniform. She was surprised as she saw me, though there was a bit of confusion mixed in, too.

"Yamamoto-senpai? What are you doing here?"

"Is Yui alright?" I dove straight into the point.

"She's alright, but I don't think she would be fine all alone. I have to skip school today."

"Your parents?"

"They're on a trip. They may be back in two days or so."

What a great timing to have a lovely little trip, Mr. and Mrs. Hirasawa.

"I'll take care of her, you just go." I stated, wiping a sweat off my forehead.

"But-"

"Generally, teachers of high school focus on the first and third years. I'm in my second year, so it doesn't really matter if I were to be absent for a few days." I stated a fact with a stern look that could increase my success rate in persuading her.

Little Sister let out a sigh, before opening her mouth. "I knew it, I won't win in an argument against you, Yamamoto-senpai. Very well, I'll go to school." She bowed a perfect 90° towards me. "Please take care of my sister."

"Raise your head. I hate people bowing at me, I'm not a God."

Yui's sister stood straight up, before smiling cheerfully. "I'll keep that in mind. Well, then… I'll be on my way. Yamamoto-senpai, I'll leave my sister to your care." She then walked to me, placing a hand on my shoulder before taking a step towards the streets.

"Don't worry about your sister, she'll be fine." I assured her. If she were to worry over her sister, the effectiveness of learning could drop in a massive rate.

"I know, I believe in you." Little sister stated without turning her back. She waved her hand before disappearing to a corner.

What the hell did I just do? Did I just volunteer myself in taking care of Yui? What the hell is wrong with me?

No, that's not important right now. I have to make sure Yui's well before I'm able to think another thought.

I went inside the house and locked the front door. Once sure the place was safe, I headed upstairs towards Yui's room.

Gaining entrance to the room, I saw a familiar chic decoration to my left and right. Walking further inside, I saw her. Yui was lying on the bed, a small compress planted on her forehead. She slept peacefully like a baby, it was quite an amusing sight.

What I didn't like was the pained expression on her face. Somehow just by seeing it angered me to the fullest. I clenched my fists as I felt the veins popping out of my body.

Damn it! Get a grip, Hiromi! She's sick, there's nothing you can do!

I turned my head away to ease my wrath. Taking a seat on a nearby chair, I rubbed my temples where it hurt.

Why am I so angry? It's just a fever, there's nothing to worry about. Hell, I had seen Tainaka caught a worse one, and yet I didn't feel enraged at all.

What the hell is wrong with me?

I shook my head to get my bearings. I should focus on something else.

Observing the desk, I saw a few notebooks here and there, mostly school related. An odd one caught my attention. Above all the school notebooks, there was a green book with pink flowery patterns on it. Curious, I took it to investigate a little further.

It seemed to be a diary of some sort. The first page was dated about one and a half years ago, where she took her first step in high school.

I know it's not polite to read someone's diary, since it contains private information. But I need something to distract me from that enraging sight. Sorry, Yui.

Written on the first few pages were usual stuffs, how she found high school to be quite enjoyable, joining the light music club, meeting up with her childhood friend, Manabe.

I flipped it to the next page. Just as I was bored enough, I found something that caught my attention.

_Today, I asked Yamamoto Hiromi-kun in joining the club. Something about that man caught my attention. My classmates said that he was a scary man. But I don't see anything scary about him. Sure, the glare he always wore might be intimidating, but that doesn't mean he's scary._

NOW I'm interested.

_Anyways, he agreed to join the club. Yamamoto-kun was pretty good at the guitar, I couldn't help but ask for his help in tutoring me. He seemed to have a weakness against women. Hehe, he's a bit cute._

"…cute? You have got to be kidding me."

Flipping it to the next page rather furiously, I was greeted by another wall of text.

_Yamamoto-kun seemed to have trouble socializing, so I decided to help him. A girl in our class needed help with some math problems. Seeing Yamamoto-kun's skills in the subject, I decided that this was the chance. Instead of Nodoka-chan, I directed her towards Yamamoto-kun. It went better than expected, and the results were satisfying._

I flipped it to the next page, again and again. I couldn't believe my eyes, almost half of the diary was about me, and the development of my personality. It detailed what, how and why I changed.

I couldn't find the reason why she did this. I was bewildered, dazed and confused.

"Unngh…"

A sound from behind made me reflexively place the book in its original position. Spinning the chair around, I saw Yui was about to wake up.

I sat there, waiting for Yui to gain consciousness. She tossed and turned around until she slowly opened her eyes. Turning her head to me, she greeted me with a smile.

"Hey, Hiromi-kun… what are you doing here?"

"Taking care of you." I stated, standing up before walking towards her side.

I placed a hand on her forehead to determine her body temperature. Her face was red as I did so, maybe due to the fever.

"37, you're gonna be alright if you rest well. Are you hungry?"

"Very." She stated, rubbing her stomach.

"Wait here, I'll get you something to eat."

I strode my legs downstairs to make a suitable food for the ill. Any hot soup would be ideal in this kind of situation, the heat alone could relieve the pain in your body effectively. Arriving at the kitchen, I rummaged the fridge to search for ingredients.

Leek, potato, chicken. Perfect.

I prepared the necessary utilities and ingredients for making a leek soup. As the water boiled, I found myself lost in thoughts once again.

That diary… It's bugging the hell out of me. I found my name in almost every page, and still I haven't figure out why.

Is she interested in me?

Hell would've rained spikes of ice if that was the case. I might as well spin this leek and start singing the goddamn Ievan Polkka.

I cleared my head of the nagging thoughts. My priority was to nurse the ill, and I won't let my train of thoughts be a burden in performing my task.

The soup done, the medicine readied, I placed the meal on a tray and went upstairs. Somehow the quiet atmosphere wasn't really befitting for a happy household like this, it felt like a jigsaw puzzle missing a single piece.

Opening the door to the room, I saw Yui was already dressed in a different pair of pajamas.

"Smells good!" she exclaimed with high spirits, taking a seat on the carpeted floor with the table in front of her.

I carefully placed the tray on the wooden, circular table. Without much of a delay, she started digging in.

"Where's Ui?" Yui asked me after a spoonful.

"Went to school, we switched places." I leaned against the wall, crossing my arms.

"I'm sorry, Hiromi-kun. You skipped school because of me." She stated, looking sad.

"I never skip school this year, so it's alright if it's only a day or two."

"But still-"

"Just eat up. Think about yourself for once."

"Okay…" Yui muttered, taking another spoonful.

She emptied the bowl in silence after the short conversation. Once done, she took the medicine and jumped back to bed.

"You'll be fine after a good rest." I stated, covering her body in a blanket.

Just as I turned my back, I felt a light tug on my school blazer. Turning my head, I saw Yui with a look of worry.

"Will you be there when I wake up?"

I was taken aback by that question. Why would she ask such unimportant matter?

"I will, don't worry." I said to her, walking towards the chair.

Yui gave me a sweet smile before closing her eyes. In a matter of seconds, she fell asleep.

I took the chance to take a nap. Since I was taking care of someone sick, I shan't sleep too long. Sleeping in a sitting position should lower my rest duration due to the uncomfortable stance. Closing my eyes, I drifted away to dreamland.

…

Opening my eyes, I rubbed it to get a clear vision. The clock showed me that the time was around 3pm. Standing up, I stretched my limbs to get the blood pumping. I took a step towards the sleeping beauty to check on her.

Yui was sleeping peacefully, her eyes closed tight, and her previous smile still intact.

Just by staring at her sleeping and smiling innocently, I couldn't help but brush a few strands of hair that covered her face. I felt her soft skin as the tip of my fingers ran along her face.

It was then I thought to myself. Have I the right to do this? This soft, smooth skin… should it be dirtied by my cold and rough hands?

No, I don't want to taint her innocence by these hands of a killer. I shan't do this.

Walking towards my previous seat, I heard the door creaking open. The sight of Hirasawa Ui greeted me. She was a bit worried, but was rather relieved as she saw me.

"How is my sister doing?" she asked in a low voice, careful not to wake her sister up.

"She'll be fine."

"That's a relief. I'm sure you're tired, Yamamoto-senpai. Please rest, I'll take over from here."

"No." I bluntly refused.

"Eh?"

"I kind of promised her to be here when she wakes up."

Little sister looked at me with surprise before nodding understandingly. "I see… very well, then, would you like some tea?" she offered me with a smile.

"I'll pass." I stated, taking a seat on the floor.

"Okay, I'll be downstairs if you need me." Yui's younger sister stated, walking towards the door.

I was, yet again, left alone with Yui in this quite spacious girly room. I sat there, silence surrounding me while I wait for the patient to wake up.

Hanging my head, my mind began to go wild with unsettling thoughts.

I might have notice this before, but it feels wrong for me to be here, in the happy arms of the club. I'm a son of a mercenary, I've killed people before.

I'm a monster.

Damn it, drowsiness could make you go into confusion really easily. I didn't want to think of such things, but somehow it came back to me like a flash of dark light.

"Hiromi-kun…"

I snapped out of my dreams as I heard the small, sweet voice calling out to me. Turning my head towards the bed, Yui greeted me with a smile that could easily match Mona Lisa's.

"How are you feeling?" I asked.

"I'm fine, thanks to you." She sat up on her bed before standing up, walking towards me.

"Don't go anywhere just yet, you're not fully-"

I was interrupted by an action I didn't saw coming. Yui fell to me, engaging in a hug. I was not prepared, and was rather surprised even though it was quite common for her to do such things.

Yui let out a small giggle. "Thank you for being there, Hiromi-kun." She stated.

Before I could utter a single word, Yui let out a statement that blew away my previous train of thoughts.

"You're so warm, Hiromi-kun!"

My eyes widen after she said those words. Taking a few seconds to get my bearings, I reflexively smiled.

"Thanks…"

As if they were possessed by a ghost, my arms lifted, wrapping it around her back. I hugged her tightly, and never letting go.

This was the first time I returned her hug. It felt good, really good. I could feel her warmth spreading all over my body like an endless pulse of happiness. No matter how cheesy that may sound, it was how I really felt.

Heh, I'm such an idiot to have that previous depressing thought in my head. Like hell I'm a monster. If I am one, I wouldn't have this girl giggling happily on my shoulder.

I'm really thankful of her existence. I couldn't find a better person to cheer me up.

Thanks, Yui.

* * *

><p><strong>Random fun fact: The given names of my two OCs, Hiromi and Kaito, were taken from a J-Drama titled 'Beach Boys'.<br>**


	49. What's in your Eyes?

**Author's note: Thank you markfrost and RAISER KON for finding the Ievan Polkka part to be funny. I'm not really good at writing humor, but my intentions are to copy Tanigawa Nagaru's style in writing it. A few sarcastic and cynical remarks could initiate a chuckle here and there.**

**And my deepest thanks to Anon for reviewing this story professionally. Don't worry, I'm not offended. Notch (the creator of Minecraft) had stated before: "Life is too short to be offended by stuff.", so I'm not going to be offended in any way. If anything, your review helps me with my writing. A lot.**

**This paragraph is dedicated to Anon, so for the others who are not interested, skip ahead. I started writing this story without any knowledge of literature. I've read books here and there, but I didn't analyze them. I've re-read the earlier chapters of this story, and I found it eerily messed up (especially, like you've mentioned, the tenses). I wanted to fix them, but laziness caught up, sorry about that. And about the Mary Sue-ness of my OCs, I guess you could say it's a selfish way to express my anger towards the weak male main characters out there (I'm looking at you, harem animes). But I guess it's alright if I keep them interesting to read and follow. So, once again, thank you for your detailed review for this story. I really appreciate it.**

**Sorry for the lengthy note, enjoy the chapter!  
><strong>

* * *

><p>"So, how was Hirasawa-san?"<p>

"She's fine. She'll be able to perform."

"Ah, that's good to hear."

The stars above shone brightly as I lit a smoke. The events today were quite bizarre, starting from Yui's phone call, followed by my unexpected act of running towards her house. I was minding my own business until this friendly neighbor of mine decided to trespass by climbing the not-so-tall of a fence that separated our houses.

"We were quite shocked as you ran out of the building in such magnificent speed." Tanigawa began, his smile still intact. "Tanaka-san stopped us from chasing. He stated that it was nothing to worry about."

"I see…" I muttered, puffing on my cigarette.

The gentleman chuckled a bit. He leaned against a tree, gazing at the skies. "Frankly, I was really surprised as I saw you rushed to Hirasawa-san's house after the phone call. Pardon me for saying this, but that was really… not you."

"I know. I've no idea why I did that." I stated, remembering the earlier events. "I feel like someone is screwing with my head, I've been acting really weird lately."

"I assure you, nobody is doing any brainwashing in this time of the year." Tanigawa said, his smile getting wider, and more annoying. "The culprit of your state of confusion is none other than the most common feeling that humans ever feel. I'll leave it to you to guess what this 'feeling' is."

"Not interested." I refused bluntly.

"If that's what you want, very well. But I might need to warn you that you will learn of this feeling, whether you want it or not."

"Whatever." There's no such thing as 'learning something we don't want'. It's us that control what we would like to learn, and not to learn.

"Well then, I believe it's getting late. Adieu, Yamamoto-san." Tanigawa ran up to the fence and climbed it, landing on his property which was located beside mine. With a last wave of hand, he disappeared inside.

"Annoying bastard." I muttered, putting out my smoke.

Of course, I didn't really hate the guy. He was a good man, but that smile of his could be really annoying at times. I would like to know what Kyon had to say about his fellow brigade member, Koizumi. Pretty sure he had the same thoughts as mine.

The next day was the day before the school festival. Yui attended school like usual, her fever had gone away like a leaf blown by the winds of spring. I noticed her cheerfulness was kicked up a notch, probably due to the festival drawing close.

It was then that I was reminded of a certain sacred book I found in her room.

Goddamn scumbag brain, deciding to remind me of such uncomfortable stuff in a bad timing.

"Hiromi-kun, thanks for yesterday!"

Before class started, it was a bit of a tradition for us to gather and talk about stuff. I usually remained silent in these times, but I suppose it was quite impossible to do so today. Gathering around us was the Light Music Club (sans Akiyama, Kathy and Nakano), along with a few students from our class.

"Yeah, sure." I muttered, not in the mood for words.

"What are you guys talking about?" A random female student chirped, looking really interested.

"Hiromi-kun took care of me yesterday!" Yui answered cheerfully.

"Really? So that's why you suddenly dashed out of the building." Another student piped in, turning her head to me.

"That was an act of reflex." I stated.

"Oh, that's just cute."

"Shut up, there's nothing 'cute' about it."

The girls around me went to a giggling fit. I sighed as I closed my eyes and hung my head.

"Damn it…" I feebly muttered.

Class went by like any other day. The only difference I could feel was the decreased performance in my studies. I believe you could guess what caused it.

After school, I went with Kyon to the old school building, the reason being that the others had cleaning duties.

"How's the club so far?" The cynic sparked a conversation as we walked through the crowded building.

"All is well." I replied. "Might be a bit too eccentric at times, but fun. How's the Brigade?"

Kyon tiredly sighed as he shook his head. "She's getting more and more energetic by the day."

"Suzumiya?"

"Who else?"

"I guess that's inevitable." I stated. "That's just her character, and it won't change that easily."

"Yeah… my thoughts exactly." He muttered. "But somehow I don't want her to change."

I was a bit surprised at that. "Why?" I asked.

Letting out a chuckle, Kyon turned his head to me with a smile. "Some things just can't be explained." He stated.

I raised an eyebrow at the shorter man. Deciding to let it go, I put my focus back on walking.

"Whatever…"

We parted ways as we arrived in the front door of the SOS Brigade. After quick words of luck from him, I continued walking through the hall.

The music room was quiet, really different from the usual lively atmosphere it held. Tossing my bag to the bench, I sat down and grabbed Yui's acoustic guitar.

My hands moved on its own, I got to the A, E, B, then I got the blues.

_Hey babe, what's in your eyes?  
>I saw them flashing like airplane lights<br>You fill my cup, babe, that's for sure  
>I must come back for a little more<em>

_You got my heart, you got my soul_  
><em>You got the silver, you got the gold<em>  
><em>You got the diamonds from the mine<em>  
><em>Well that's all right, it'll buy some time<em>

_Tell me, honey, what will I do_  
><em>When I'm hungry and thirsty too<em>  
><em>Feeling foolish (and that's for sure)<em>  
><em>Just waiting here at your kitchen door?<em>

_Hey baby, what's in your eyes?_  
><em>Is that the diamonds from the mine?<em>  
><em>What's that laughing in your smile?<em>  
><em>I don't care, no, I don't care<em>

_Oh babe, you got my soul_  
><em>You got the silver, you got the gold<em>  
><em>A flash of love, just made me blind<em>  
><em>I don't care, no, that's the big surprise<em>

I don't know what caused me to sing this song. One of Keith Richard's best, I remember my dad singing it in memory of my mother. Heh, it's scary how my brain could remember this song without an event that triggers it.

The door creaked open, revealing my good old friend. Yuuki came barging in, tossing his bag to the spot beside me.

"Where are the others?" I asked.

"Not done yet." He replied, stretching his limbs. "You Got The Silver… I wonder why you sang that song."

So he heard.

"No reason." I bluntly stated, putting on a straight face.

"Come on, man. I've been with you for only so long, I can easily tell when you lie."

"I'm not lying, it just came to my head all of a sudden."

"Ah, that's too bad." Yuuki muttered, waking towards the coffee brewer. "Then, we should ask the psychology expert why it came so suddenly."

"Look, it's not something worth asking-"

I was interrupted by the door swinging open. Enter Kathy, her cheerful smile was plastered neatly on her face.

"Kathy! A question for you." Yuuki greeted the old friend, a bit too dramatically, I noted.

"Yeah? What is it?" Kathy was interested. She tossed her bag to the bench and closed the door.

"Hiromi started singing a love song all of a sudden. What is the reason of doing so?"

"Isn't it obvious?" The blond held up a smirk. An annoying one at that.

"He's in love!" the duo said in unison, with Kathy pointing her index finger at me.

"I am not." I stated, growing tired of this stuff.

"You're in denial!"

"I am NOT in denial, the song just popped in my head, and that's that."

"So who's the lucky girl, Yamamoto?" Kathy leaned closer to me.

And once again, I initiated a move that even Kyon found interesting: the facepalm.

The two kept pressing me further, said that I'm actually in love with someone. They were like the Three Stooges, sans one member.

Needless to say, the day continued annoyingly frustrating.

The next day, the beginning of the cultural festival. I strode my legs through the festive school without anything in mind. We agreed that the concert would be held around afternoon, so I spent the morn by walking around like a zombie to kill time.

Eventually, I came across someone who had the same mindset as me. In his untidy fashion, Kyon wandered around the school, looking left and right for anything interesting.

"Found something interesting?" I asked him as I was behind the shorter man.

"No, just like last year." He replied. "Quite curious of the magic show, though."

"When?"

"Should be starting soon."

"Got nothing better to do anyway. I'll go with you."

We walked towards the field, where the show would be held. Various people were waiting on the provided seats, ranging from children to the elderly. A few students were also present, mostly girls.

The excessive number of females were quite mysterious. It was when I saw Akiyama on one of the seats that I realized what caused it.

"Who's performing?" I asked Kyon.

"Koizumi and your friend from the club, Tanigawa."

Nailed it.

We took our seats beside Akiyama, who was rather excited to see her boyfriend on stage. She held her phone up, aiming straight to the front.

"Shouldn't you be practicing?" I asked the bassist.

"Ssh, I'm recording!" she replied.

Somehow I felt a heavy sense of déjà vu… oh, wait.

The two performers appeared. Coming from the left, Tanigawa, with his usual smile still on his face. Koizumi entered from the right, waving his hand to the audience. Needless to say, they were greeted by the girls excitedly.

"Good morning, everyone! It's a fine day, don't you think?" Koizumi began.

The replies were mostly coming from the girls screaming their lungs out. I might need a doctor to check on my ears after this.

"A fine day indeed, Koizumi-san! Are you all ready for the show?" Tanigawa asked the spectators.

Again, high pitched screams were heard. One thing they didn't know was the fact that one of these fine gents had ruthlessly killed 30 people a few weeks ago. If they knew of this, I would expect less cheering.

"I regret coming here." Kyon stated, performing a facepalm.

"What caught your interest, anyway?"

"I want to know the tricks they have up in their sleeves, it's interesting to figure out."

That's a good reason to watch a magic show. "Bear with it, I'm interested, too."

Tanigawa pulled out a blue colored balloon out of goddamn nowhere. Koizumi, with his gentle smile, reached for something in his coat pocket.

"I'm sure you all know what this is…" He then pulled out a gun, earning a few gasps from the girls. "Do not fear, it is merely a toy. Now, I'm sure you would only think of bad things when it comes to pistols. But this gun is friendly! It could change colors of balloons!"

"Ain't that cheesy." I muttered.

"Now, I will change the color of the balloon held by my dear friend. Get ready!" Koizumi aimed the toy gun to the balloon with one hand.

**Bang!**

True to his words, the previously blue balloon turned red. The audience cheered and clapped as they saw the magic in front of their eyes.

Of course, they were all fooled.

"An old trick." I stated, my voice covered by the applause from the crowd.

"Mind explaining?" Kyon turned his head to me.

"Before blown, the red balloon was placed inside the blue one."

"So that's actually two layers of balloons?"

"Yeah. Now, why did Tanigawa held the balloon? It could be placed on the ground by adding weight such as a stone."

"So he could pop the blue balloon?"

"Exactly." I stated. Kyon's observing skills were quite sharp, I was impressed. "The sound of the gunfire was to distract the audience, as well as covering the sound of the popping balloon."

"Heh, genius."

"That was amazing, Koizumi-san! Now, for the next one…"

The show went on smoothly. The audience was mostly fooled, but not me. I told Kyon the tricks behind every magic they performed, and he digested it quite easily. He was quite fond of learning new things, so I kept throwing in a few facts to expand his knowledge.

Teaching someone is always fun, and it gets even more fun if the person you're teaching is a quick learner.

"Well, that's all from us! Thank you, and have a good day!"

With that short ending, the duo exited the stage. I went backstage along with Akiyama and Kyon to greet the magicians.

"That's amazing, Kaito-kun, Koizumi-kun!" Akiyama exclaimed as she met her boyfriend and his partner.

"Thank you, Mio-san. Did you figure out the tricks?"

"No, but Yamamoto-kun did." Akiyama pointed to me.

"Ah, I did not expect anything less from you, Yamamoto-san." Koizumi added.

I kept quiet, not wanting to sound like an arrogant man.

"Anyways, we should get going to the music room. The concert starts in an hour." Tanigawa announced, taking a glance at his watch.

"Well, I'll be waiting at the gym. Good luck, you three." Kyon stated, walking away.

The three of us walked towards the clubroom through the crowded and festive building. It was way more packed than last year, much to my dismay.

Opening the door and letting Akiyama in first, we were greeted by the others with high spirits. They were all present, sans Yui who was at an unknown location.

Curious, I decided to ask. "Where's Yui?"

"She should be here soon, she's helping the class with the café." Yuuki stated.

Oh yeah, the class decided to open up a café for the event.

Speak of the devil, the door creaked open, revealing the aforementioned person.

It was then I noticed something was off.

"Where's your guitar?"

The room went to a silence after I asked the question. After a few seconds of a blank stare she gave me, she widened her eyes.

"I forgot Giitah!"

"You what!" exclaimed the girls.

"How much time do we have left?" I asked the others.

"45 minutes. Should make it if you run!" Kathy exclaimed.

"I'm on my way." I stated as I ran to the door.

"Wait, Hiromi-kun! It's okay, I don't have to perform!" Yui shouted to me before I left.

"Like hell it is!"

You're pretty excited a few days before, now you're telling me it's okay? You're out of your mind!

Dashing out of the music room, I ran through the old school building with haste.

No, running will not be effective. I will tire easily. I need some kind of transportation.

Kyon!

I ran towards the gym as fast as I could. A few confused looks were present, but I ignored it.

It doesn't matter if I look weird, running throughout the school like a murderer chasing his victim. What matters now is Yui's wish to perform!

Kicking the door open, all pairs of eyes landed on me. I spotted Kyon standing near the door, a confused look on his face.

"Kyon, I'm going to need your bike!"

"What? What for?"

"It's an emergency!"

"Alright, here's the key!" he grabbed the key from his pocket and tossed it to me.

Catching it, I gave the man a small 'thanks' before sprinting towards the school gate.

Descending the hill was quite tiring, but that didn't stop me from my task. It took a lot more than a steep hill to stop me!

Reaching the parking lot with tired legs, I unlocked the chains that held Kyon's bike into safety. I got on and started pedaling towards the Hirasawa residence.

They said bikes are for relaxing rides on the countryside, with the sunset and the birds as the view...

Hell no. I'm on a pinch here, I don't have time to enjoy some stupid motivating views!

Going through the whole city just to get Yui's guitar… what the hell is wrong with me? I don't even think of the consequences of my reckless action. Let's see… my position could be easily replaced with Kathy, so the concert's pretty much safe. Kyon's bike? I could probably get smashed by a car if I kept riding this thing recklessly, so I need to be careful.

Screw carefulness! I need to get there as quick as possible, screw you, red lights!

The bright red light that magically stopped every car from going through didn't stop me as I pedaled faster. I could barely feel my legs, but the adrenaline kept me going. Horns blown, shouts heard, middle fingers raised, all those little things didn't slow me down at all.

A few minutes of pedaling, I arrived at the Hirasawa residence. It was all well, until I realized I had overlooked one tiny detail.

"How the hell am I supposed to get in?"

As I pondered on how to gain access, a car stopped by the front gate. Coming out of the vehicle were two people, a man and a woman, both middle-aged. They happily walked side by side until they noticed me.

"Ah, a guest?" The man asked with a gentle smile on his face.

By a quick glance, I could easily guess that these people were Yui's parents. The fact that they parked the car in front of the Hirasawa residence, plus the striking resemblance of Yui, I couldn't be wrong.

"Yui's friend, I came here to get her guitar." I stated, getting to the point.

"I see… well, then, do come in." Yui's father then walked over to the door, unlocking it.

"Sorry, but I'm in a hurry."

Just before the man could ask further questions, I went inside, then upstairs with haste. Inside Yui's room, I found her guitar already packed neatly. I grabbed it and blasted away downstairs.

"Would you like some te-"

"Next time!" I cut off the mother's offer, running towards the door with high speed.

Getting on the bike, I secured the Gibson by wrapping the strap around my body. Once again, I hit the streets.

I know it's rather rude for me to do that, but an emergency is still an emergency. The priority stands, no matter what.

Thankfully, there were no red lights to stop me on my way back to the school. Just like Keith Richards had stated: my luck hasn't run out yet.

Parking the bike and locking it took quite some time, but I managed to do it without panicking. Now, for the worst part…

I think I'm going to call this hill The Steep Hill of Death from now on…

I hiked this hill everyday. But with numb legs, a tired mind, and screwed lungs due to excessive smoking, I could barely survive it.

"Come on!" I shouted before running up the hill.

It was exhausting, carrying a heavy guitar while focusing on my breathing. Fortunately, it was fall. If it was summer, in this hour, I could easily pass out from heat stroke.

I reached the school, eventually. I could barely breathe normally, and my head was spinning. It took a lot of effort just to stand up straight.

I shook myself awake and ran towards the gym, ignoring the overwhelming exhaustion.

I could hear a few sounds coming from inside the building, it seemed the concert had started. Kicking the door in, I saw a full house, with some people in the back turning their heads to me with a look of surprise. On the stage was the Light Music Club, with Yui standing behind the mic. As soon as she saw me, she jumped off the stage and ran up to me.

Thankfully, they were just holding a mock concert to stall the crowd. My mission was a success, Yui could definitely perform.

I handed over her beloved guitar, ignoring the stares that landed on us.

"Thank you, Hiromi-kun…" Yui said, hugging me tightly.

I cringed as I heard the 'aww's coming from the audience.

I do not like this at all.

"Just go, these bastards are waiting." I stated in a low voice.

Releasing her hug, Yui gave me a sweet smile before running back towards the stage.

"Sorry for the wait, now let's start!"

With that, Tainaka cued the others. Starting with 'Fuwa Fuwa Time', the crowd went to a cheer.

"That was one hell of an act."

I turned my head to the voice. Kyon stood there, offering me a bottle of water.

"Thanks." I took it from his hand in exchange of his key.

"You ran down the hill, went to Hirasawa's house, then back up here while carrying a heavy guitar in less than an hour." Kyon recited. "The hell were you thinking?"

"Worth it." I said after a swig of the pure mineral water. "Look at that, the girl's never been so happy before."

Kyon turned his head towards the stage, focusing on Yui. The girl on the guitar and vocals was undoubtedly in joy. She sang with all her heart, hoping to entertain the audience like no one could. It was quite a marvelous sight, I'd never seen Yui so… bright before.

A small chuckle came from the cynic. "Guess you're right."

The concert went smoothly, and the crowd was pleased. I didn't almost collapse for nothing, then. Yui was able to perform, and her wish came true. They said that there was no greater feeling than helping someone in reaching their dreams. They were right, it felt really good after I saw Yui's performance.

The night came by in a flash. With a rather tired body, I rested myself on the rooftop. The bonfire could be seen clearly from here, the students were either dancing, talking or waiting for a partner.

Sighing, I leaned against the fence, my back facing the crowded fields below.

As I looked back on the events that occurred today, I was quite confused. Going through the whole city just to get Yui's guitar wasn't something I would do.

Maybe I'm changing. Maybe Kathy's right, I'm in denial…

No, that is certainly not the case. Nobody can change so easily, and like hell I'm in denial.

Sounds of steady footsteps snapped me out of my thoughts. Enter Yui, her face showed happiness in the fullest, and her eyes were sparkling like the golden apples in Minecraft.

"Whatcha doing up here?" She greeted.

"Enjoying the breeze." I replied.

"Isn't it cold?" Yui stood beside me, watching the people below.

"Not really."

It is kind of cold here, but at least I can get some time alone. Hey, everything has its risks.

We stood at the top of the building, covered in the sound of some classical music from below. It was then that Yui decided to break the silence.

"Thank you for today, Hiromi-kun."

I turned my head to the girl. She was still gazing at the view below us, her eyes locked to the bonfire.

"Sure." I answered, not in the mood for words.

"Honestly, you surprised me, rushing out all of a sudden." Yui turned her head to me, smiling with grace.

"You wanted to perform, I'm just helping you as a friend." I stated.

"…friend, huh."

"Come again?"

"N-nothing, forget what I said!"

I raised an eyebrow at the airhead. Deciding to let it go, I sighed and turned my back to face the fence.

Few students were dancing, including Yuuki who partnered with his girlfriend, and Akiyama, with Tanigawa. They were genuinely happy as they moved to the beat of the music, and with the rather romantic atmosphere caused by the bonfire, the joyful feelings of the crowd was amplified.

"Let's dance, Hiromi-kun."

Yui's request distracted me from analyzing the people below. Turning my head, I saw her smiling, her eyes sparked with excitement.

"No." I bluntly refused.

"Pleeaase?" She begged.

I frowned as I remembered a certain weakness of mine. It's been too long since you appear, my old friend, I guess you're not going to leave me anytime soon…

"Fine." I said, offering her my hand.

She took it, then placed her hand on my shoulder. I wrapped my arm around her waist, starting to move along the slow beat of the music. Yui narrowed her eyes, smiling a ladylike smile as we locked our sights.

That gaze… something about it makes my heart skip a beat. It's so… hypnotizing.

It was as if the brilliant stars, of billions and billions of age were taken from the skies and were put inside those magnificent pair of orbs.

We stopped dancing as the music ended. The movement ceased, but our eyes were still locked.

I don't want to let go of this beautiful sight just like that. No, let me gaze at her a little bit longer!

Unbeknownst to me, Yui was decreasing the distance between our faces in a slow rate. Her eyes closed, and her lips a bit parted. As soon as I felt her breath on my face, that was when I gave up all of my senses…

**KA-BOOM!**

The loud noise cancelled our previous actions. Turning our heads to the source, the sky was filled with colorful sparks, like those I had seen on the summer festival before.

"Tanaka-san! The school does not allow fireworks!" I heard Manabe frantically shouted.

"Breaking the rules once a year is fine, don't worry about it!" Yuuki replied, lighting another one.

"But-"

"Come on, lighten up, Manabe! The people love it!" My old friend said with a laugh.

Manabe's protests were silenced by the sounds of the fireworks. Yuuki was right, the students loved it. They were watching the colorful sky in delight, each with their partner of choice. I saw Nakano standing on a corner, putting up a facepalm at her boyfriend's act of delinquency.

A small giggle escaped Yui's lips, I turned my head to see her covering her mouth.

"Tanaka-kun always come up with the silliest ideas."

"Ever since junior high… that guy hasn't change at all."

Yui turned her head to me, smiling sweetly. "I think I'll go down there. See ya, Hiromi-kun!" She then scurried away downstairs to meet the others.

After making sure the airhead disappeared, I sighed tiredly, thinking of the previous events.

What the hell was she thinking? Wait, more importantly, what the hell was I thinking? Giving in to her just like that… I think I need to see a psychiatrist. I don't even want to know what would happen if Yuuki didn't light up the fireworks.

Screw it, my brain's not in shape to be thinking of such things. It's been one hell of a day, and all I need is a smoke, and a cup of coffee.

And maybe Minecraft, too.

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><p><strong>Looks like the updates are going to be a bit slower... Minecraft Beta 1.9 Pre-release 2! WOOOOOO!<strong>


	50. Crossroads Blues

**Author's note: Writer's block! FFFFFFUUUUU-**

**Anyways, I'm gonna focus on Chihaya and Ritsu for now. Hiromi and Yui had too much romance a few chapters before.  
><strong>

* * *

><p>"Winter is close, huh…"<p>

I sighed after I let out the above statement. It was obviously pointless for me to utter such words, since there was no one in this house of mine. Saying something when there was nobody around to hear it could be treated simply as a vocal exercise, I remembered Kyon saying those words.

I guess he's right, it's a waste of breath, and the exercise barely do anything beneficial for my throat.

Stepping downstairs, I felt the cold air settling in. It was Saturday, where people mostly stayed still under their roofs. I was no different than most of the population. I found it enjoyable to be walking around in the cold, but for this day only, my mind was too damn sluggish.

I brewed myself a cup of coffee for a boost of awareness. I was used to the quiet and eerie atmosphere in this house, but recently, I found it rather lonely.

The club's to blame for this change of mindset. I don't know how I should feel if I'm really changing. The effect of a change is still mysteriously vague to me, and I'm quite curious, yet scared at the same time.

Two soft, consecutive knocks coming from the door snapped me out of my nagging thoughts. I strode my legs towards the entrance, opening the front door as I arrived.

"Good day, Yamamoto-kun."

Standing in front of me was Kotobuki, carrying what seemed to be a guitar in a leather case. Behind her were Akiyama, Tainaka and Yui, smiling excitedly.

"The hell are you guys doing here?" I asked, a bit surprised seeing the uninvited guests. "Wait, nevermind. Just come in, it's freezing outside."

"Sorry for intruding." The guests came barging in, taking off their shoes.

I walked inside to fix them each a cup of tea. In a cold weather, even the slightest warm drink could boost your morale up like magic.

An explanation can wait. The priority now is to keep them safe and comfortable in this property of mine.

I placed the tray which contained four cups of hot tea on the table. The girls gave me a small 'thanks' after I handed them each their cups.

"So, mind explaining why you all came here?" I asked after taking a seat.

"I have something for you, Yamamoto-kun. It's from my father." Kotobuki stated, taking the guitar case.

Handing it to me, I could feel the weight of it. It was light, meaning it was an acoustic guitar. I noticed it was a bit too small for a guitar.

"You could've just called me, I'll get there instead of you going here in this freezing temperature." I said, opening the case. "And why are these people with you, anyway?" I gestured towards the other three.

"I'm just here to meet Kaito-kun." Akiyama stated, taking a sip of her tea.

"I have nothing better to do." Tainaka echoed.

"I want to meet you, Hiromi-kun!" Yui chirped.

"Whatever…" I inspected the guitar after the leather case was off. It was shiny and sparkling clean, pretty obvious that it was newly bought. It was then I realized the piece of instrument I was holding, was a pretty damn expensive guitar.

On the peghead, there was the logo, 'The Gibson'. Just by taking a glance at it gave me the chills. Mahogany neck, ebony fretboard, aged vintage sunburst finish. The 17th and 18th frets were graced with the Robert Johnson signature.

I don't even want to THINK how much this machine costs. Good God, Mr. Kotobuki, just how loaded are you?

"I told my father that you like blues." Kotobuki began, taking a sip of her tea. "Suddenly, he gave this guitar to me. He said he wanted to return the favor a few months ago, and asked me to deliver it to you."

"I can't accept this." I stated, remembering the price of the instrument.

"I insist." Kotobuki said with a straight look.

Damn it. Oh well, I think it's rude to decline after she went all the way here just to deliver it. And as a plus, I don't think this thing is really expensive for Kotobuki's father. Maybe buying this thing is like buying a meat bun in the winter for him.

"Alright, I'll take it. Tell your father I'm grateful."

"I will pass the message." Kotobuki stated with a smile.

"Try playing it, Hiromi-kun!" Yui exclaimed, eager to hear the sound of the new guitar.

I started with the 32-20 Blues. As I strummed on the strings, the guitar produced a beautiful sound loud enough for the whole house to hear. It was amazing how a small guitar could let out such thunderous sound.

It's pretty damn beautiful. It feels like the soul of the man himself possesses me right now.

I finished the tune, followed by a round of applause from the girls.

"That's amazing, Hiromi-kun!" Yui said.

"The guitar helps a lot." I stated, turning my head to Kotobuki. "Thanks, I appreciate it."

"You're very welcome." The blond smiled cheerfully.

"By the way, Yamamoto-kun, mind if I call Kaito-kun over?" Akiyama asked.

"I'll do that." I stood up, walking towards the living room. Beside my PS3, there was an old walkie-talkie my father used to utilize. I had handed the other one to Tanigawa for simple communication. I took the device and held the talk button to connect to the other side.

"Tanigawa, come in." I said to the microphone.

After a few seconds, a response came from the speaker.

"This is Tanigawa, go ahead."

"Your girlfriend's here."

"Copy that. I'll be there in a second, over and out."

I put the handheld transceiver back to its place, heading towards the dining room once again.

Just as I was about to take my seat, I heard the front door opened. A few sounds of footsteps later, Tanigawa revealed himself.

"Hello, Mio-san, everyone." He greeted with his trademark smile.

"Hey." Akiyama welcomed her boyfriend with a quick peck on the cheek.

Tanigawa took a seat beside his lover, before noticing something new in my house.

"Gibson L-01, is it yours, Yamamoto-san?" asked he.

"Kotobuki gave it to me." I stated, grabbing the guitar.

I wonder how good it sounds for fingerpicking? Let's give it a shot…

I started playing 'Speak Softly Love', a simple, yet beautiful tune.

Hmm… it's good, but not perfect. I guess this thing's only for-

"AH!"

Tainaka's shout, as well as the sound of an impact between the chair and the floor stopped me from playing further. Just as I was pondering what caused her to be so surprised, it hit me.

Crap, I completely forgot this song is rather 'special' for her.

"You startled me, Ritsu. What's wrong?" Akiyama asked her friend.

Tainaka stood there with a flustered look. It took a while before she regained her consciousness. The tomboy flipped the chair back up, sitting on it with a tint of pink on her face.

"N-nothing… sorry." She muttered, hiding her face.

Akiyama stared at Tainaka with a weird look, completely confused.

Oh well, rather than being surrounded in an awkward situation, might as well step on the pressure plate for the TNTs.

"Reminds you of someone?" I asked directly.

Tainaka banged her hand on the table. Hard. She stood up while giving me a look of panic, which was quite an amusing sight.

"How did you-"

"Take a look around anywhere you go. There's always someone listening to you." I stated, remembering the event around two years ago.

"Damn it." Tainaka feebly muttered. "You and your sneaking skills, Yamamoto…"

"I know it's an invasion of privacy, sorry for that."

"Yeah, yeah, it's fine." The president sat back down, sighing tiredly.

"I don't get it." Akiyama piped in.

"I, as well." Tanigawa raised his hand.

Tainaka reluctantly explained the occurrence to the others, much to her dismay. Akiyama's smirk wasn't helping the tomboy, obviously.

"Interesting…" The black haired woman muttered after the brief explanation.

"So, do you like him, Ricchan?"

Yui's question was straight-to-the-point, and it successfully initiated a sudden chuckle from Akiyama. Kotobuki and Tanigawa just sat there, smiling their usual smiles while I continued to play the blues as the background music.

"What kind of question is that, Yui?" Tainaka was not amused.

"Come on, Ritsu, just tell us." Akiyama demanded.

"Look, I don't know, alright? I don't understand all of this stuff."

"Shall we find out, then?" Tanigawa suggested.

"No, no thanks, I don't even-"

"We shall." Kotobuki interrupted.

"Argh!" Out of frustration, Tainaka clenched her hair and pulled it hard.

And so, the club arranged a plan for the two of them. Tainaka seemed uneasy, but rather curious of her own feelings. The mastermind was Kotobuki, with a few suggestions coming from Akiyama and Tanigawa. Yui was pretty interested, she observed the plan closely like a S.W.A.T member in a briefing room.

Me, I'm just providing the background music as they organize the plan.

"And that's how it should go."

With those finishing words, Kotobuki ended the planning session.

In summary, the operation would commence next Saturday. Location would be at the newly opened theme park, named Magicland. The whole club would be there to decrease awkwardness between the two, and the time would be around 9 in the morn.

"Okay, this is just ridiculous." Tainaka stated, defensively putting her hands in front of her. "I don't need this, seriously."

"Well, I'm not sure if I should say this, but please excuse me if I seem arrogant." Tanigawa began. "I know not what Chihaya-san feels about you, but this plan, I'm sure, will give us answers. You are in a state of confusion, am I not right?"

"A bit, yeah." Tainaka said.

"Then this operation will clear your thoughts of it. Confusion could easily lead into ineffectiveness of your everyday activities. Studying, for example."

"Ritsu's still stupid even without the confusion, though." Akiyama stated, earning a glare from the aforementioned person.

Chuckling a bit, Tanigawa continued. "Now, we don't want to make it worse, do we not?"

This guy's got a good point. Feelings will get in your way on the battlefield, my father once said to me. I guess the everyday life isn't any different.

"Alright, I get it, it's for my own good." Tainaka agreed, though not entirely pleased.

The guests went back to their respective homes after a few quick chats. Once again, I was left alone in my quiet house. Sitting on the couch, with a piece of Robert Johnson by my side, I booted my PS3 and started replaying Shadow of the Colossus.

Next Saturday will be the start of the operation. I can't say I'm looking forward to it, but I guess I'm a bit excited.

Well, there goes another one of my gaming Saturday…

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><p><strong>I don't have a Gibson L-01.<strong>

...

...

...

***sniff***


	51. A Taste of Honey

**Author's note: Big thanks to my good friend, zeroline for this chapter. Good lad, him. Always helping me in my times of need. Bless you, mate.**

**And thank you Anon, for once again lifting my spirits up by reviewing! I'm going to call you 'Batman' from now on, because you helped me before, and I still don't know your name.**

* * *

><p>"Alright, you're good to go."<p>

It was the promised day, and the club was gathering at Tainaka's place for a brief makeover. Standing in front of everyone was the previously mentioned girl, completely dressed in a yellow cardigan that matched the color of her hairband. Under it was a white, simple shirt. Much to her dismay, she was forced to wear a white skirt that went down to her knees, complete with frills here and there. The girl was completely different than the Tainaka we knew, she wasn't looking like a tomboy for once, and her aura was…

Nevermind, I'm starting to sound like a hippie.

"Whoa, who's this? I don't think we've ever met." Yuuki said jokingly, admiring the work of Kathy, Kotobuki and Akiyama.

"It fits you unexpectedly well, Ritsu-senpai." Nakano commented.

"What do you mean by 'unexpectedly', Azusa?" Tainaka retorted, inspecting her outfit. "I don't know, it feels really uncomfortable. Maybe I should just-"

"No, no, no! Beauty is pain, Ricchan! You have to endure the uneasiness in order to win Chihaya's heart!" Kathy exclaimed, waving her index finger in front of Tainaka.

That's just cheesy. I don't think it's worth it, sacrificing maneuverability just to look impressive in front of someone. That's like spending money on expensive clothing rather than food.

"Okay, look, I don't even WANT to win his heart. Just to make it clear, this plan is just for finding out my true feelings, simple as that." Tainaka clearly reminded the others of the operation's true purpose.

"Alright, alright, we get it. Now let's go, we're getting late." Akiyama pushed her friend towards the door leading outside.

We followed the girl, greeting the rather cold weather of fall as we got past the front door. I was the one who had to take responsibility in transporting the club to the promised location, so I went through the trouble of providing my car for them.

Each of them got in the car. Akiyama, Tanigawa and Tainaka in the back, Kotobuki and Kathy in the center, with Nakano in Yuuki's lap due to the lack of space, Yui and I in the front, just like usual.

We hit the rather crowded road, with the girls more than excited to see the newly opened theme park.

I don't have an interest in crowded places, let alone a theme park. I deduce, in this day of the week, the place will undoubtedly be full packed of people. As a plus, it just opened a few days ago, increasing the quantity of visitors in a massive amount. Just with all those info in mind, I can tell this is going to be a tad troublesome.

Arriving at the place, I mentally patted myself in the back, feeling proud of my deduction abilities. I was right, the park was crowded as hell, and I had trouble finding a parking spot.

After a few minutes of going round and round the parking lot, I luckily found one. We walked towards the entrance after making sure the car was safe and well. The amount of people was like the Rolling Stones concert in Hyde Park, after the death of Brian Jones.

We spotted a familiar peach haired man leaning against a wall somewhere near the entrance. Chihaya looked extremely bored as he blankly gazed at the sky. He was wearing his usual attire: a plain black shirt and a pair of pants, pure and simple.

"Yo, Chihaya." Kathy greeted the man cheerfully, triggering the chef to turn his body towards us.

"You're la-"

Whatever sarcastic or cynical remarks he wanted to say, it ceased coming out from his mouth as he saw a certain someone in her unordinary appearance.

Chihaya stood there, eyes wide, mouth agape. He stared in amazement at Tainaka, a tint of pink was clearly visible on his face.

"What?" The tomboy asked, a bit annoyed.

"N-nothing. I thought I just saw an alien for a moment there." The chef muttered, turning his head away.

"Shut up." Tainaka retorted.

"Alright, let's have some fun!" Kathy pumped her fist, giving the others a boost of morale.

We walked through the crowded place, searching for something interesting. There were a few rides here and there, roller coasters and a ferris wheel included.

This place is pretty damn huge, I don't think we'll be able to experience the whole place in a day. Not to mention the queue for every single thing, even toilets.

"Should we try the roller coaster?" Kotobuki suggested.

"Don't. Roller coasters tend to tire you quickly with all the screaming and the adrenaline-pumping, not to mention motion sickness. Save it for the last if you're really curious. If you take the ride now, there's a high chance you won't be able to enjoy the other rides." I said.

This is a common mistake for most people. They're pretty excited in trying out the ride without even thinking of the consequences. As a result, they either go home earlier than expected, or spend the rest of the day with a less excited mood.

"Hmm, you have a point." Kotobuki nodded her head understandingly. "Well then, let's find something less 'extreme'."

Kotobuki's 'something less extreme' turned out to be a thing that one of us feared the most. Standing tall in front of us was a dark-themed building, big enough for a few people. Above it was a huge sign that read 'Haunted House'.

"I'm not going in there." Akiyama stated, putting her hands up defensively.

"C'mon Akiyama, it's good for mental training!" Yuuki cheered the scared girl up.

"No way, not a chance!"

Despite the others' cheers, even from her boyfriend, Akiyama still refused to go. After a few minutes, we knew that it was pointless to force the girl.

"Very well, then, let us find something else." Tanigawa said, taking his girlfriend by the hand.

"Alright, we'll see you guys later!" Akiyama went back into her state of high spirits.

And off they go…

"That was quick." Tainaka commented.

"Well, let's get to the endless queue of hell." Kathy stated, gesturing towards the long line of people.

Unsurprisingly, Kathy's statement was not an understatement. It took about a half hour for us to reach the entrance of the building.

As we were inside, a cold breeze greeted us. It was dark, and the sources of light were minimized. In front of us was a long corridor, complete with cobwebs, bones, and other scary props lying around. Placed along the right wall were paintings, probably for adding the creepy factor for the place.

Truth be told, I'm actually a fan of scary places and areas. Ever since I've played horror games, I fell in love with it. Hmm, the ambiance isn't bad, but it should be better if they add a flickering light bulb in the center. Just like in Dead Space, the scary atmosphere will easily multiply. Add a few disturbing noises ala Silent Hill, and this place is a perfect image of terror.

"This is scary…" Nakano muttered, clinging to her boyfriend.

"Are you scared, Hiromi-kun?" Yui asked me.

"Not at the moment, but we'll see."

"Chihaya, Ricchan, you guys take the front." Kathy ordered.

"Excuse me? Why should I?" Chihaya turned his head to the blond with a look of disbelief.

"What, you're scared?"

"I'm not!" the chef retorted.

"Then prove it."

Chihaya began walking forwards, muttering something along the lines of Kathy being a daughter of a motherless goat. Tainaka was by the chef's side, looking a bit scared, a bit curious. They walked side by side until something caught Tainaka by surprise.

"WAAH!"

The tomboy jumped to the chef, grabbing his arm in a quick motion. We shifted our eyes to the right, where the paintings were placed.

"Heh, moving pictures. Interesting."

Said paintings were mostly pictures of a middle aged woman with a long hair. That alone should be enough to scare people away, but the fact that the eyes were moving could easily make someone literally wet their pants.

"Is it real, though?" Yuuki asked nobody in particular, inspecting the paintings a bit closer.

"Of course not, you expect someone to sit there and move their eyes all day?" I stated the obvious.

"Good point."

Chihaya let out a laugh, throwing his head back. "Come on, getting scared by some stupid mechanism? What are you, five?" He said to the clinging tomboy.

"S-shut up, I didn't see that coming!" Tainaka retorted.

"Ha ha ha, it's alright. C'mon, let's move." Chihaya wrapped his arms around the girl's waist, leading her forwards.

The girls behind me giggled, and I could even hear a squeal coming from someone. I couldn't see Tainaka's face due to the lack of illumination, but from the way she walked, I took a guess that she might be a tad uncomfortable of the contact.

We walked for quite a bit, not really enjoying the rather creepy atmosphere the place held. It was only a few seconds until Chihaya tripped on something.

Before his face met the floor, the chef regained his balance with the help of Tainaka. He jolted his head towards the source of the accident.

"Son of a gun grabbed my foot!" He exclaimed, a bit annoyed at the invisible culprit.

Tainaka laughed wholeheartedly, pointing at the chef in a mocking way.

"Now that's just hilarious! Nobody would fall for a child's trap like that!"

"Shut up, that's pretty dangerous!"

Well, that was dangerous. If one were stationary, it should be fine. But if the hand grabbed someone moving, it could lead to a disaster rather quickly.

"Alright, alright, let's move along…" Kathy stated.

The two continued moving, with Tainaka a bit giddy over the previous occurrence.

"Wait, stop." I halted the others.

Everyone stopped on their tracks, looking at me with confusion.

"You guys hear that?"

It was a sound of something, probably wood, tapping on the floor in a quick succession. It came from our backs, and it drew closer by the second.

"W-what's that sound?" Nakano grabbed her boyfriend's arm in fear.

"Whatever it is, I do not like where this is going." Yuuki stated.

We stood there, unmoving. The footsteps drew closer and closer, until it revealed someone- no, something, coming out of the darkness.

"Holy crap!"

The 'thing' towered us, it was at least three meters tall. The slim figure was covered in white blankets, and on the head was a faceless mask. Quite terrifying for one with no experience in playing horror games.

"RUN!" Tainaka shouted, triggering us to run for our lives.

Wait, why am I running? That's just a guy standing in a wooden pole covered in blankets. Oh well, I don't want to ruin the atmosphere, might as well go with the others.

"For a fake ghost, that thing's pretty damn creepy!" Yuuki exclaimed, still holding Nakano's hand to support her.

"Not a bad job, that is!" Kathy agreed.

I could see a shed of light not far in front of us. The others were not looking back at the image of pure terror that chased them, not even a glance.

We reached the end of the corridor, which was the exit of the building. The club caught their breaths as we saw daylight once again.

"All that waiting just for one lame ass corridor? The school festival's haunted house was better than that!" Chihaya ranted.

"Ah well, that tall bastard was a bit thrilling." Tainaka stated, wiping a sweat off her forehead.

"That thing is scary!" Yui agreed.

"But still, it's not worth the wait." Kathy commented, letting out an exhausted sigh. "Let's find something else."

Yet again, we made our way through the sea of people. It amazed me how people were still interested in this place even though it was literally crowded as hell.

We walked around with no particular destination. Entering our sights were Akiyama and Tanigawa, with the former holding an ice cream in her hand.

"Hey, how's the haunted house?" Akiyama greeted, licking her ice cream.

"You won't survive a second." Tainaka haughtily replied.

"Says the girl who jumped just by seeing a painting." Chihaya muttered, earning a fist to his arm.

"Well then, let's get moving. We don't want to waste time here." Yuuki stated.

The gang continued by trying various rides here and there, including a few water rides, thrill rides and other stuff I didn't want to mention. One thing to note was the waiting time for each of the rides, it was long, tedious and boring. I ended up spending my time in the smoking area, which was a bit more peaceful than the loud chattering, music, and shouts coming from outside.

Done with my smoke, I went to check on the others. They were planning to try out the coaster, which failed to catch my interest.

I was, in fact, really interested. But just by seeing that long ass line, the thought vaporized out of my mind.

I spotted the club on a bench. The girls were looking exhausted and tired, while the boys kept their spirits up. The sun was starting to set, and the place was getting a lot less crowded.

"How was it?" I asked nobody in particular.

"Thrilling." Tainaka answered shortly.

"It was fun! You should try it, Hiromi-kun!" Yui exclaimed.

"No. I can't stand long lines."

"I'm going to the bathroom, be back in a second." Chihaya stated, heading towards the said location.

After a few seconds of waiting for the chef to disappear, Kathy called me with a signal.

What? Gather the boys? Okay…

I lightly tapped Yuuki's and Tanigawa's shoulders, catching their attention. Before they could utter a word, I nodded my head towards Kathy. The blond waved her finger in a circular motion, a signal for a briefing.

"Alright, I have a plan." Kathy whispered as we were gathered in a circle.

"Do tell." Tanigawa stated, looking interested.

"Us girls will try to leave the two of them alone, while you boys keep an eye on the target."

"And why the hell should we do that?" I asked.

"Just do it! We're going to go together out of this area, then we split up. Got that?"

"Sounds fun. We'll do it." Yuuki agreed to commence the plan.

We broke the circle after the quick briefing. Approaching Tainaka, Kathy put up a sinister look.

"Ricchan, could you wait for Chihaya to come back? Just tell him we're at the cafeteria." Kathy asked the tomboy.

"What? Why should I-"

"Ahem." Kathy cleared her throat, reminding Tainaka of the purpose of the operation.

"Fine." The president let out an annoyed sigh, feeling defeated.

"Well then, see you there. Good luck!"

Before scurrying away, the girls gave Tainaka words of luck, for a reason that should be obvious for anyone.

After a few meters of walking, Kathy gave the signal to split up. Tanigawa, Yuuki and I went back to the previous spot, choosing an alternate route to avoid crossing paths with the target. Blending in the crowd would be ineffective, since we were taller than most of the people around. The only option was the old-fashioned way in stalking people, by hiding behind anything that could act as a cover.

We spotted Chihaya and Tainaka walking towards the cafeteria. The sunset as their background, and the festive atmosphere around them caused the scene to look like it was ripped straight out of a cheesy romance movie.

Hiding behind the bushes, we listened to their conversation whilst trying to avoid detection.

"What's with the new look?" Chihaya began, turning his head towards his companion.

"I don't know, the girls suddenly set me up like this." Tainaka replied. "It's not even comfortable to move around."

"You're used to wearing pants, it's only logical for you to be uncomfortable." The chef turned his head forwards, chuckling a bit before continuing. "It's not like you at all, wearing a skirt."

"I know, it's bugging me."

"…suits you well, though."

"Come again?" Tainaka turned her head, a questioning look on her face.

"Forget it." Chihaya looked away with a blush on his face, avoiding eye contact.

"Good God, is Tainaka deaf or something? We heard it clearly!" Yuuki complained, making the 'Y U NO' pose.

Restrain thyself, can ye not see we're in a sneaking mission?

Continuing the walk covered in silence, the duo reached the rather crowded cafeteria.

"Where the hell are the others?" Chihaya asked, trying to search for the club.

Tainaka knew for sure of the girls' trap. She shifted her eyes nervously, a mix of anxiousness and annoyance on her face.

"L-let's just wait for them." She decided.

The two grabbed their seats, initiating us to move to a better spot. We found a line of bushes that could act as a cover. We gained perfect view, and I could clearly hear them from this distance.

The situation went rather awkward as the two of them sat opposite of each other. Tainaka kept her head down, not knowing what to say. Bored to the core, Chihaya decided to spark a conversation.

"You're acting really weird today."

The statement caught Tainaka by surprise. She jolted her head to the chef in panic.

"Wh-what are you talking about, I'm acting like my usual self!" The tomboy stuttered.

Chihaya stared at the flustered girl intently, before giving up.

"Women."

The two sat in awkward silence. It was then Yuuki spotted something interesting.

"Those guys in monkey suits look intriguing." He pointed to the far table.

Intriguing wasn't the word, they were obviously dead drunk in the middle of a crowded place. The men in suits were disturbing the others with their loud chattering and laughing.

"They're from the Kazuya family, small fries known to cause trouble nearly everywhere." Tanigawa stated, his true self appearing.

"Crap, what're we gonna do?" Yuuki asked.

"If we're going to take them all out, we're going to be spotted for sure."

"We need to go incognito first. Heh, I know these will come in handy." Yuuki reached for his bag he had been carrying around since morning.

He took out three masks of various designs. I spotted one that was different than the others.

"Is that a goddamn Captain Falcon mask?" I asked, pointing at the said plastic mask.

"Yep, and no, you can't have it."

I sighed as I saw Yuuki putting on the mask. "Are you gonna do what I think you're gonna do?"

"Ayup. Don't stop me."

"Even with the masks on, they would still recognize our shirts." Tanigawa stated. "Wait, they're heading towards the two."

I turned my head towards table. The baldie, who seemed to be the boss of the group was standing near the table, facing the duo. His back was facing us, giving a perfect opportunity for a surprise attack.

"Now, what do we have here… getting all lovely in this time of the day." The boss slurred, his men standing on the opposite side of the table.

Chihaya was annoyed as hell, he turned his head towards the man angrily.

"None of your business, shiny head."

That provoked the boss enough. He started throwing insults to the chef while struggling to stand up straight.

"Time to act." Yuuki walked towards the scene with haste, his Captain Falcon mask equipped.

Tanigawa took the Kamen Rider mask, and I ended up with an Ultraman one, much to my dismay.

We followed Yuuki, acting as a backup. As the point man was close enough, he tapped the boss' shoulder.

Sorry, bald yakuza boss. You're going to experience something quite traumatic as you turn your back…

"Huh, what-"

"FALCOON PAAAWNCH!"

Yuuki's fist landed perfectly on the baldie's face, breaking his nose. He flew a few meters away, landing on empty tables and chairs. The crowd around us was pretty amused.

Tanigawa laughed wholeheartedly, his voice muffled by the mask. "That was amazing."

"Who the hell are you!" One of the men shouted, surprised to see a masked man randomly appearing and punching someone in the face.

Yuuki pointed to the other lackeys, and said in a Captain Falcon-ish voice, "Show me your moves!"

With those words as the cue, the men in black charged towards us. There were at least 5 of them, not quite enough to take us down.

Chihaya took Tainaka by the hand and ran away to ensure the girl's safety. With them out of the scene, the place was ours.

"Bring it on!"

* * *

><p><strong>Untold Story #8: Unexpected Act<strong>

Running away from the brawl was rather tiring, but the fact that those three stalked us was not comfortable for my mind at all. We managed to find a safe place near the ferris wheel. It was quiet, and the sky was getting dark.

"You alright?" I asked Tainaka, who was desperately gasping for breath.

"Yeah, I'm good."

Now all I need is an explanation.

"What were they thinking, following us all the way to the cafeteria?"

Tainaka shifted her eyes nervously, an act I found frequently used for the day. She seemed to be weighing on her options for a while, before deciding to spill it all.

"I'll explain. For now, let's find a place to sit down."

That 'place' turned out to be the ferris wheel. There was not a single soul seen lining up, unlike the afternoon, where the lines could match the Great Wall of China in length.

We took our seats in the gondola as the gigantic wheel continued its routine of spinning slowly. It was then that Tainaka readied herself for the explanation.

"The reason I look and act different today…" She began, an anxious look on her face. "…is because of you."

I tilted my head, a bit confused and curious. "How come?"

Tainaka sighed as she hung her head. It was dark, but I could see a blush on her face. "I have this nagging feeling… I'm not sure what it was, but after seeing Mio and Tanigawa, Azusa and Tanaka, hell, even Yui and Yamamoto, I think I've figured it out."

Oh crap. I am NOT expecting this.

Tainaka raised her head slowly, revealing her beautiful blushing face. Her bright eyes gazed directly at me with a bit of nervousness, reflecting the colorful lights outside.

"I'm in love with you, Chihaya."

Time seemed to freeze after she said those words. I could barely feel anything other than my heart beating fast. My mind went numb, and my body moved on its own.

I reached out to her, my left hand cupping her cheek. Tainaka moved closer to me, she narrowed her eyes, and eventually closing it as her face drew closer and closer.

I felt her warm lips as it came in contact with mine. I could feel my heart beating faster and faster as the feeling of bliss ran throughout my entire body. Almost all of my senses died down, I heard nothing, I saw nothing. All I could feel was her soft lips that tasted much sweeter than wine.

I pulled back my head slowly after the brief kiss. Tainaka looked up to me with a smile so sweet, I could probably get a heart attack.

"I'll take that as 'I love you too'." She stated in a low voice, still smiling.

I chuckled, brushing away a few strands of hair on her face. "I didn't say that."

"You suck at hiding feelings." Tainaka jumped to me, happily wrapping her arms around my back and burying her head on my chest.

I've never, ever, experience a thing called 'love'. I think this is the start of something new for me, and by the looks of it, it will be able to make me happy until the end of my time.

"Seriously though, you wear a skirt just for me?"

"Blame the club for that, it's not even uncomfortable to move in this thing!" she raised her head, annoyed at the club's choice in clothing.

"Frankly, it looks good on you. But I like the usual you better." I placed my hand on her head, looking down to gaze at her eyes.

"I'll keep that in mind." Burying her head on my chest once again, she let out a happy giggle that brought a spark of happiness to my heart.

Yeah, I'm sure of it. This girl is someone really special for me. I will always be happy, even in the brink of Armageddon.

As long as I have her by my side.


	52. 10 Yen Promise

**Author's note:Thank you, Truner for the detailed review! I know it's a bit boring in the earlier chapters, but I don't know, I can't make great first impressions, for whatever reason. Sorry for that.  
><strong>

**And you're right, I'm going too fast with the pairings. It might be due to my lack of experience in romantic encounters, or I guess it's just because I'm a straight-to-the-point kind of guy, and that made me unable to write romantic scenes. Either way, I'll try to learn a few things about it.  
><strong>

**A short chapter, this one. Sorry, writer's block strikes again. I hope I'm able to come up with interesting ideas for the next chapter, though. Wish me luck!**

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><p>"Got into a brawl with drunken yakuzas, being stared at by people, then got chased by security. I hope that was worth it."<p>

It was the day after the operation, and for some reason, Yuuki and Chihaya came barging into my house like thieves in the middle of the day. I took the chance to explain what happened after the chef ran away from the scene, to which he responded with a chuckle.

"Don't worry, you guys didn't embarrass yourselves for nothing." Chihaya stated, leaning against the lonely tree in my backyard. His face showed true happiness as he closed his eyes, remembering the events from last night.

I puffed on my smoke and continued playing the guitar Kotobuki lent to me.

"That's good to hear." I muttered.

I sang 'The Spider and the Fly', for the sake of providing a background music. It was then someone climbed the fence, trespassing into my property without any word uttered whatsoever.

"Yo, Tanigawa." Yuuki greeted the intruder.

"Good morning, everyone." Tanigawa said brightly, smiling his usual smile as he approached us.

"Sorry for the trouble yesterday, I had no idea you guys were following us." Chihaya stated.

"Ah, don't worry about that, I had fun clearing out the area of troublemakers." The gentleman walked closer to the chef, offering his hand. "More importantly, congratulations for you and Tainaka-san."

"Thanks." Chihaya shook the man's hand, smiling happily.

Huh, I've never seen the guy so happy before. Just what kind of spell does Tainaka put up to alter this man's feelings so easily?

"So how does it feel?" Yuuki asked, sitting on the thick branch of the tree several meters from the ground.

"Good, really good. Just caught me by surprise when she said she's… in love with me." Chihaya stated, lowering his voice in embarrassment as he reached the last part.

"Yes, it is a magnificent feeling. I, too, was really taken aback when Mio-san confessed her feelings." Tanigawa agreed.

"I'm with you. I was pretty damn lost at what to do when Azusa suddenly let out her feelings back in summer." Yuuki nodded his head in approval.

The three men let out a contented sigh as they look back to the days they earned themselves a partner for life. I continued playing the blues, until I felt all eyes on me.

Turning my head to the right, I saw the three with a smirk on each of their faces.

"What?" I asked in an irritated tone.

"Oh, nothing, we're just thinking how different you are from the rest of us." Yuuki stated.

"Shut up."

"Get a girl, Hiromi." Chihaya added.

"Not interested."

"Hirasawa-san seems really fond of you." Tanigawa commented.

"She doesn't have anything to do with this."

"Keep on denying, you'll blow your brains out in the end." The chef said to me.

"I'm not in denial, I know myself better than anyone." I stated, getting annoyed.

"Alright, let's play a little game. If you're really in denial, you're going to give us a single 10 yen coin. If you're not, we're going to give you one." Yuuki stated the bet.

"The hell? Why 10 yen?" Chihaya asked in disbelief.

"It's not a matter of money, it's a matter of honor."

"It's a deal." I stated bluntly.

"Well then, you better prepare that copper, circle thingy. We will have it." Yuuki mocked.

"We'll see."

Not long after the bet was placed, the three left my property. It should be noted that Yuuki and Chihaya were laughing sinisterly as they walked out of my place. Bastards.

Like hell I'm going to give my honor away just like that. I'm going to prove them wrong.

The next day, a certain someone was in overwhelming joy as I went inside the music room. Tainaka sat there with an everlasting grin, a teacup and a special slice of cake in front of her.

"I know you're happy and all, but stop that, it's annoying." I commented on the face she made.

"Oh, quiet down, Yamamoto. I am in wonderland!" The president stated, face unchanging.

I sighed as I initiated my first facepalm for the day.

"Whatever…"

Sitting on the bench with Yui's acoustic guitar in my hands, I played some random tune just to get my mind off of things. I was near the end of a song before Yui approached me with excitement.

"Hiromi-kun, I can play it perfectly!"

I was surprised after she let out that statement. Yui was referring to the song I had taught her a few days ago. It was the Live Killers version of 'Love of my Life', which was rather hard for one to pull off without much experience.

"Really? Let's hear it." I handed the guitar to her, a bit curious.

Yui took the guitar, closing her eyes after her fingers were in position.

Soft, sweet sounds of acoustic guitar strings filled the room after a few seconds of silence. Yui played the song with her eyes closed, smiling sweetly as if she was lost in her own world. Her head moved along with the beat, her hair waving smoothly and slowly.

Needless to say, I am feeling really astonished right now.

After a few minutes, the song ended. Yui turned her head to me with a triumphant smile.

"You did a great job, I'm proud of you." I stated, ruffling her hair a bit.

"Thank you, Hiromi-kun…" Yui muttered in a low voice, hanging her head down. I couldn't see her face clearly, but it looked like she was blushing, for whatever reason.

What I didn't notice was the fact that a small smile was planted on my face the whole time. It took me a while to realize, and a split second to regain my usual expression.

"Anyways, get ready for a new song." I cleared my throat. "I wonder what I should teach you next…"

Akiyama raised her hand. "In tribute of the newly born couple, why not 'that' song?" she suggested.

"Speak Softly Love? Sure, that'll do." I agreed.

"I love you forever for suggesting that, Mio!" Tainaka jumped to her friend, hugging her.

Akiyama tried to escape Tainaka's grip, though not really effective. With the sound of Akiyama's protests as our background, Yui asked a few things about her next song.

"Is the song hard, Hiromi-kun?" she began, her eyes sparked with excitement and curiosity, like those of a child.

"Not really, just a bit of a pain remembering the notes." I stated.

"I can't wait!" Yui giggled, covering her mouth.

"We'll start tomorrow. For now, just try not to forget 'Love of my Life'."

Turning her head to me, Yui nodded reassuringly. Reflexively, I smiled widely, for a reason still a mystery to me.

It was then I noticed Akiyama's protests had died down. Complete silence filled the room, I turned my head towards the others slowly with a bad feeling in my guts.

All eyes were on Yui and I, the girls each had a grin on their faces, and Yuuki was smirking while Tanigawa kept his smile.

"Gee, I wonder how much a candy costs these days?" Yuuki announced out loud.

That would be 10 ye- wait. Damn it.

"That would be around 10 yen each, Tanaka-kun!" Yui stated innocently.

Yuuki let out an annoying laugh, throwing his head back. "That's pretty cheap, I guess I'll ask Hiromi for one."

"No way in hell." I spat.

The others went to an all-out laughter, sans Tanigawa who managed to hold it back. Yui was a bit confused, but laughed along anyway.

I was pretty confident the day before, but now, with Yui in front of me, I'm starting to have doubts. How pathetic. I thought I was right, but then I end up thinking I'm actually fighting a losing battle with those guys.

Now, I have a question. What would you do if you were standing in my shoes? With those guys laughing wholeheartedly at me while I'm clearly having doubts with my own feelings, what would you do?

No, nevermind. I got the answer.

The Facepalm.


	53. Changes

**Author's note: Truner and Batman, I appreciate the ideas, thank you very much for the suggestions.**

**Now, I'm not really sure if I can stretch out the Hiromi-Yui romance, but this might be interesting. Writing is like survival, you need to take risks now and then. I'm rather unsure if I can make it like Truner suggested, and I'm rather at loss on what to do right now. Two paths, each with their own ups and downs, now the only problem is which road should I take. I'll think of this. In the meantime, have a filler.**

* * *

><p><em>Beep beep beep beep beep<em>

I dismissed the alarm in a still-sleepy state. Sitting up straight, I could feel the cold air inside my room despite the protection the thick walls around me provided. Winter settled in rather quickly, as if a supercar passed by the streets in a flash while spreading snow all over the place. Opening the curtains, I could easily predict the temperature outside just by seeing the white snow scattered everywhere.

A few minutes of preparation, and I was ready to go to the haven of learning.

Armed with my favorite FOXHOUND coat, along with the scarf Yui gave me last year, the stabbing wind of winter was nothing to fear. People said that you would need a hat in order to protect your head from the cold air, but Japan wasn't as cold as most European countries, so I should be fine without one.

And coincidentally, I hate hats.

Like usual, I was the first to arrive. The classroom was empty, and not a single sound was heard. Tossing my bag to my desk, I headed towards the board to clean it. Somehow it became a routine for me to execute various cleaning tasks in the morning. I didn't mind, since there was nothing else I could do to fill in my boredom.

The class door slid open. I took the chance to guess who might be entering the room so early in the morning.

Easy, light, yet quick footsteps. A woman, an eccentric and athletic one. Slid the door open too hard, might be in a state of anger, or an unmannered person. Best guess: Suzumiya.

"You're pretty early, Yamamoto."

Bingo.

"Force of habit." I stated, still cleaning the board.

After closing the door, the girl with the yellow ribbons took her seat, which was my favorite spot in the corner of the room. She gazed at the city view provided by the sparkly clean window. The look on her face was of boredom, missing its high spirited expression for once.

"Rather than staring out of the window like in the movies, you might as well help me clean the class." I suggested, gaining her attention.

Suzumiya turned her head to me, furrowing her eyebrows in annoyance.

"Fine." She then stood up, taking a piece of cloth to wipe out dusts from the teacher's desk.

We worked in silence for quite a while, before my cleaning companion decided to spark a conversation.

"You do this everyday, Yamamoto?"

"Yeah, got nothing better to do." I stated, moving on to cleaning the windows.

"Really… I never imagined you of all people would do such things."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I turned my head to her.

"I mean, you don't look like the man to do things for others' good." Suzumiya stated, pointing at me. "If anything, you look like a ruthless killer."

I raised an eyebrow at her comment. Well, maybe I do look a bit scary, but I'm not a ruthless killer, I kill for a good reason!

"Don't be ridiculous. I'm not doing this for the others, it's just one way to keep me from getting bored."

The weird girl scoffed, continuing her work.

"It's not like I care anyway." She muttered.

Then why did you ask?

Now that I think about it, I've never done this before. All the way from elementary school to my first year in this place, I've spent my extra time in the morning by taking a nap.

Am I changing? Why do I feel bored even though I can easily put my head down on my desk and go to sleep?

How curious… Ah well, it's not really a bother anyway. I'll just think of this as a minor change, and I will revert back to my old self sometime soon.

After the place was clean, we went back to our seats, waiting for the other students to arrive. It took not a minute for the door to slide open yet again, revealing Kyon, Yuuki, Yui and Kotobuki. After closing the door, Yui took a look around the class to find I was alone with Suzumiya not long ago. Knowing that, she put up an expression that I couldn't decipher.

What does that look mean? Melancholy? Depression? It's not something positive for sure, and I don't like that expression for some reason. Wait, it's the same expression as the one from about a year ago, when she spotted me together with Suzumiya. What does it mean?

I heard a chuckle beside me as I was observing the airhead.

"Interesting…" Yuuki muttered in a low voice.

"You were saying something?"

"Nothing, just your imagination." He turned his head to me with a smirk.

You and your obvious lies.

I noticed Kotobuki was smiling as she set her bag down. Of course, it was not her usual smile. It was a smile that told me she had something in her mind, something tricky, or devious.

"Whatever…"

Yui recovered from her God-knows-what-state after most of the students arrived. She acted like her usual, airheaded, cheerful self as she chatted with the others.

Oh well, it's useless to bring logic into Yui's mindset. She's a unique girl, and I believe I have had some experiences in trying to analyze her a few times back, which resulted in a miserable failure.

After school, the others from the club stayed behind, performing their cleaning duties. I went with Kyon towards the old school building with our coats on to protect us from the cold winter air.

"This morning…" Kyon began as we walked through the crowded building.

"What about it?"

"You cleaned the class didn't you?" The cynic turned his head to me with a serious look.

"Yeah."

"With Haruhi?"

"Yeah, I asked for her help and she agreed. Why?"

Kyon's face turned to one of surprise. He stared at me in disbelief for a few seconds, before turning his head forwards.

"That's… interesting."

"What is?" I asked.

"I never thought Haruhi would do that. Helping others, I mean."

"Now that you mention it…"

I never did observe her from the beginning, but just by a glance, I could tell that she was actually changing.

"She's changing." Kyon stated.

"Probably. But is it really that easy for one to change?"

"I guess that depends on the character."

"Is that so…"

I don't know, if Suzumiya is capable of changing, maybe I am, too. But is it a good thing for me to change? I believe I'm good enough, I don't need any stupid change.

"How did you know we were the ones who cleaned the class, anyway?" I turned my head to Kyon as we ascended the stairs of the old school building.

"I arrived not long after Haruhi. Just as I was about to open the door, I overheard you two talking." The shorter man shrugged. "I eavesdropped for a while before Tanaka, Kotobuki and Hirasawa spotted me."

"Why didn't you just come in?"

"I don't know, my gut feeling told me not to."

Huh, strange.

We parted ways after we arrived at the door leading to the SOS Brigade clubroom. I gave Kyon a quick wave of hand and continued my way through the hall.

The music room consisted of only one member: Nakano Azusa. She noticed the door creaking open, and turned her head to me with a smile.

"Good afternoon, Yamamoto-senpai." She greeted me.

I closed the door, tossing my bag to the bench. "Stop being so formal with me, I hate that." I stated.

The kohai giggled. "Sorry, force of habit."

"Tea?" I offered as I walked over to the brewing corner.

"If you please."

I brewed the tea in her trademark pink cat cup. Setting it over to the table, she gave me a quick 'thanks'. Fixing myself a cup of coffee, I sat across the petite girl.

A cup of coffee in the middle of a winter day is truly a drink of heaven. Add rum to it, and it'll be like an Elixir of Life.

"Say, Yamamoto-senpai…" Nakano began, breaking the silence. "How does it feel like, teaching Yui-senpai?" she raised her head to me, looking a bit excited for God knows what reason.

"Fun. She's a quick learner, despite her airheaded character." I answered, taking a sip of my coffee. "But then again, I like teaching people."

"What is she to you?" Tossing another question, the kohai leaned closer to me, still looking interested.

"What kind of question is that?"

"Just answer it."

I raised an eyebrow at her, before giving in to her demands. "A classmate." I shortly stated.

"Is that all?"

"Apprentice. Music buddy."

"There must be more than that."

"This is like a police interrogation." I spat, getting annoyed.

"Well then, I suppose you're not going to give in that easily." Nakano sat back on her chair, disappointed.

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm not telling you."

Damn it. Women and their little secrets.

"Whatever…" I gave up, not wanting to scare the girl with my threatening tone.

I have a feeling that the club is planning something against me. Whatever it is, I don't think I'm going to like it.

I'll surely find out sooner or later, but this uneasy feeling is bugging the hell out of me.

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><p><strong>Give me a moment to think of my actions. I think I might be taking the Truner route, and try to extend the Hiromi-Yui romance. But I'm not sure if I'm capable of doing that. We'll see...<strong>


	54. Snowball Fight!

**Author's note: Alright, things just got more interesting. Heh, writing is fun!**

**Iron Ramirez: About your idea of a love rival, I don't think I'll be adding another character just for that purpose. Sorry, I won't add a rival. But what I'll do is make good use of that one feeling that's pretty common in love stories: Jealousy. I have a plan for that, and it should be done soon.**

**As always, thank you, Truner for the confidence boost. I'll go with your route, it shall be done!**

**And thanks to RAISER KON for helping me with this chapter! Can't do it without you, mate!  
><strong>

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><p><em>Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.<em>

The epic scene played, where Inigo finally got his revenge. It was my favorite scene from 'The Princess Bride', and it reminded me of a few years back when my father watched it with me.

In the middle of the fighting scene, I heard a buzzing sound of the walkie-talkie on the living room. I paused the video and stood up to answer the call.

"Yamamoto-san, come in." I heard Tanigawa's voice on the speaker.

I took the transceiver and pressed the 'Talk' button.

"This is Yamamoto, go ahead."

"I'm calling on behalf of the club. We're going to go out this afternoon, would you like to come?"

Hmm, got nothing better to do anyway.

"Sure, when exactly?"

"About 11am."

"Got it, I'll meet you outside."

I took a glance at the clock after placing the transceiver back to its place. It was 10am. I took the remaining time to take a shower and prepare myself.

Once again armed with the FOXHOUND coat and Yui's scarf, I headed out to be greeted by Tanigawa. He was as fresh as ever, with an everlasting smile planted on his face. I noticed the coat he wore was the gift from Akiyama a year ago. It was still in good condition, he obviously took good care of it.

"Good morning, Yamamoto-san." He greeted formally.

"Yo." I replied, locking my front door.

"It is a bit cold today, don't you think?"

It's winter, Sherlock, of course it's cold.

"As long as you keep moving, you'll be fine. Now let's go." I stated, walking towards the streets.

Hypothermia could settle in rather quickly if one were to stand still. In order to keep warm, we have to keep moving to generate body heat. But work out too much, we will sweat, and hypothermia will kick in before you can say 'enderdragon'.

We walked side by side through the lonely streets. Weekends in other seasons were crowded, but in winter, people were too lazy to go out in the cold. I gotta say, this season is perfect for me, since I hate crowded places.

"You took good care of that scarf, I noticed." Tanigawa began, breaking the brief silence.

"I have a tendency to take good care of stuff, especially if it's a gift."

"That's very noble of you. And I must say, that gift is rather 'special', yes?" the gentleman turned his head to me, still smiling.

"There's no such thing as 'special' gifts. A gift is a gift, a thing given by other people, no matter how expensive or rare it is." I explained.

Tanigawa seemed amused for a second, before reverting back to his usual self. "Well, I have to disagree with you on that one." He stated. "This coat of mine, I'm sure you remember who gave this to me."

"Your girlfriend."

"You are correct. That fact alone made this gift really special for me, since it was given by someone I love."

I don't really get it.

"So you're saying a gift is special if the person who gives it is important to your life, no matter how expensive the gift is?" I turned my head to my companion with a questioning look.

"Exactly. It's not a matter of price, but it's the thought that counts." Pointing his index finger to me, Tanigawa gave me a wink. "Now, are you certain that scarf is, like you said, not special?" asked he, a look of interest on his face.

Well, Yui gave me this, if I recall correctly, for protecting me from the cold air of winter. It's not expensive, but it's really useful in times like these. Plus, it makes me look like Revolver Ocelot.

"I guess it is special." I stated, remembering the day she gave me the scarf.

"I'm glad to hear that, but I believe Hirasawa-san would love it more if those words reached her ears."

"I'm not going to say it in front of her."

"That's unfortunate, she would be happy, I'm sure of it."

"None of my concern." I muttered, focusing back on the streets.

After Tanigawa gave up on persuading me, we arrived at the promised location. The park was quiet, and the others were nowhere in sight. The field was covered in snow, thick enough for a few kids to play around, making snowmen and a few abstract, round thingy that I couldn't even guess what it should be.

I lit a cigarette to keep me company. Two minutes later, we saw Yuuki, Nakano and Kathy coming from afar. Tanigawa waved his arm, gaining the threesome's attention.

"Yo!" Kathy cheerfully greeted us.

"Good morning, you three." Tanigawa said brightly.

"You guys are pretty early." Nakano stated, looking at the clock provided by the park. It was 10:30.

"Force of habit." I muttered, putting out my smoke.

"By the way, that's a nice scarf, Yamamoto-senpai." The twin ponytailed girl pointed to my scarf with a bit of a devious smile.

Well, it's pretty obvious that something's not quite right here. This scarf is a common one, most people use it. The color is nothing special, just plain dark red with no patterns or drawings. Nobody with a sensible mind would find this scarf interesting, so it's obviously a trap.

"Every scarf is nice, as long as it keeps you warm." I stated.

"I guess so…" Nakano muttered, looking a bit disappointed.

Heh, I win.

Not long after that, the rest of the club showed up. I noticed Yui's mittens were mine, which I gave her last Christmas. It felt good to know that she took good care of it.

Suddenly, the earlier conversation with Tanigawa crossed my mind.

I wonder what she thinks of my gift… It's just a pair of mittens, and it's actually my father's. If she took good care of it, wouldn't it be considered as special?

Wait, why the hell am I thinking of such unimportant things? I should save my brain power for something else.

"Alright, now we're all here." Tainaka announced, gaining everyone's attention. "What should we do?"

"What? You're saying you don't have a plan?" I asked in disbelief.

"Hey, life's not going to be fun if you always plan stuff!" the tomboy pointed to me in a Suzumiya-ish fashion.

Plans are always important in every place and every time. If you don't plan things out, you'll depend only on luck, which is not always there for you. That's why RPG games are good, they teach people to plan things out instead of just going Rambo all over the place.

Of course, I didn't say that to her. It would be pointless in giving lectures to Tainaka. I'd rather talk to a goddamn obsidian wall.

"Well, if you're trying to find something to do…" Yuuki walked over to the fields, grabbing a handful of snow. "I guess this should do the job."

"We're high schoolers, if you haven't noticed." I commented on his ridiculous idea.

"Hey, age doesn't matter." Forming the snow into a ball, Yuuki smirked as his eyes shifted left to right, scanning for a suitable target.

A few seconds of silence, he made his move. Throwing it like a pitcher throwing his ball, the snowball flew in high speed. A quick glance told me that the target was Kathy, though she was rather aware.

The blond backhanded the incoming threat like it was nothing. As the snowball connected with her hand, it shattered to pieces, like a shot to the head with a .50 caliber rifle.

"You think you could hit me that easily after all these years, Tanaka?" Kathy mocked, walking towards the field. "I am disappointed."

"Heh, worth a try."

"Snowball fight!"

Tainaka's announcement cued the others into running towards the field. Tanigawa and I just stood there, watching the others commencing a war of snowballs.

"It sure is quite a sight, don't you think?" The gentleman started a conversation as he watched with amusement.

"Of course it is, we're scaring those innocent kids away." I muttered, lighting a cigarette.

"Well, there's no harm in having fun." Tanigawa stated, dodging a stray snowball flying out of goddamn nowhere.

"Still, we're high school students now." I ducked to avoid another ball, managing to keep my smoke from falling. "I don't think it's suitable for us to do this."

"Ha ha, that is another unique charm of the club." Calmly moving sideways by one step, Tanigawa kept his smile as he evaded yet another stray bullet. "Youth is the most beautiful age in our lifetime, and they are surely not intending to waste it."

"Acting childish and not wasting youth are two different things." I stated, shattering an incoming snowball with my fist. "And what the hell is wrong with these people's aiming!"

Not long after the storm of stray snowballs, Kotobuki gathered the club into a circle. Yui was left out for an unknown reason. She was rather curious and confused at the same time as she stared at the group from afar.

"Hmm, they seem to be planning something." Tanigawa stated the obvious, still smiling.

"I don't like the looks of this." I muttered, focusing on the circle of people as I put out my smoke.

With a simultaneous nod, the group broke, attacking Yui with a rain of snowballs. The airhead was in panic as the snow hit her in a rapid succession. Covering her face, she ran towards me.

"Hiromi-kun, help me!"

What?

Just before I could utter a single word, Yui jumped to me. Reflexively, I caught her and turned my back, protecting her from the incoming snowballs.

"New target acquired, fire away!" Kathy commanded, pointing to me.

"What the hell is going on!" I carried Yui bridal style and dodged the hail of snowballs thrown by 6 people in a fast rate.

I managed to dodge a few while protecting Yui from the small, cold, deadly snowballs. She buried her head on my chest, giggling in excitement as I maneuvered like an aircraft dodging incoming missiles. If the snowballs were grenades, there would be nothing left of me.

I could see Tanigawa laughing in amusement as he stood still on his spot. Bastard, at least give me a hand here!

"Crap! We're out of ammo!"

Yuuki's announcement made me stop on my tracks. As I turned my head towards the group, though, a last snowball flew towards me in high speed.

"Watch out!"

Before I could react, Yui jumped off, letting her face got hit by the snowball. She wiped her face of the snow, coughing a few times.

"You alright?" I asked her, inspecting for damage.

Yui's answer was nonverbal, she nodded her head with a smile.

"Ha! You fail as a bodyguard, Yamamoto!" Tainaka pointed to me in a mocking way.

"Six against one, with zero cover. What the hell did you expect?" I asked in an annoyed tone.

"Come on man, you should protect the princess with all your strength! I'm disappointed in you, partner." Yuuki shook his head in disapproval.

"Shut up, it's hard enough to move around in this thick snow, and carrying someone doesn't help." I turned my head to Yui. "And why did you run to me, anyway?"

Yui rubbed her head as she laughed lightly. "I don't know, I just felt like it. But you always keep me safe, Hiromi-kun! I guess that's why I ran to you."

"I couldn't care less of your safety."

Just as I turned my back, I noticed an incoming snowball from my right. It wasn't targeted at me, but at someone beside me.

I moved quickly, placing myself in front of Yui. Once within range, I grabbed the snowball, careful not to break it, and used the momentum to spin around, throwing it back to the sender.

Apparently, the culprit was quick enough to react. He bashed the deflected snowball with his hand. Pieces of snow flew around him as he kept his everlasting smile on his face.

"That act is contradictory to what you said, don't you think?"

Tanigawa's smile was of one that always succeeded in annoying me.

"That was an act of reflex." I stated.

"Is that so? Well then, I suppose I'm mistaken."

"That was awesome, Hiromi-kun!"

I turned my head to the source of the voice. Yui's eyes sparkled brightly in amazement, her face was red, probably due to the earlier snowball that smacked her face. Without much of a warning, she jumped to me, arms wide.

For some God-knows-what reason, I couldn't keep my balance as she collided with me. I fell down on my back, greeting the cold, thick snow with Yui on top of me.

"Damn it Yui! Get off of me!" I yelled, though it reached deaf ears.

Yui kept giggling as she buried her head on my chest. Her arms were wrapped around me, not wanting to let go for quite some time.

I turned my head towards the others. They shared some kind of a successful glance with each other. Before I could investigate further, they all let out a laugh, followed with a group high five.

What the… wait, that nagging feeling I have the other day… So this is it! They ARE planning something against me! Goddamnit, what are their intentions?

Yui…

Oh, now I get it.

Damn it, now I know of their intentions, it doesn't really make things better.

Balls!


	55. SOS Brigade, Joining the Fun

**Author's note: Okay! After a brief briefing (wat) with Truner, I gained much confidence and a lot of ideas. Thanks, man! I don't think I'll be able to continue this story without you.**

**You know what's hard? Writing a chapter with the whole SOS Brigade and the Light Music Club having a party together is hard. And yes, Ninja Gaiden is much, much easier.**

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><p>It was a just another day at the clubroom, and the excessive noise the others usually made was unheard. I was lying down on the bench, enjoying the peaceful time all alone to rest my body and thoughts.<p>

**BAM!**

Well, so much for peaceful.

I turned my head towards the unmannered person who decided to _kick_ the goddamn door in instead of knocking.

"I have a proposal, Yamamoto!"

With her usual grin, Suzumiya came barging in, oblivious of the mean glare I mustered. The rest of the Brigade were still outside, with you-know-who initiating a facepalm.

"Learn how to knock, then I'll hear it."

"It's just a simple proposal, and I'm sure you're interested." The eccentric girl tapped my shoulder a few times in an overly friendly manner, not hearing a single word that left my mouth. "Since Christmas is close, we should celebrate it together! The Light Music Club and the SOS Brigade!"

"I don't have the right to decide, speak with the president." I waved her away, feeling the tiredness starting to settle in once again.

"Whoa, what's going on here?"

Speak of the devil, Tainaka appeared, looking confused at the scene in front of her.

"Ritsu, let's celebrate Christmas together!" Suzumiya turned towards the president. "Your club and my brigade! How does that sound?"

Can ye not shout? Here lies a man in need of a peaceful respite, 'tis unwise to produce excessive noise.

Tainaka grinned widely. "That's a great idea, Haruhi! Where should the party be held at?" she asked excitedly.

"I'm thinking of Yamamoto's place."

Excuse me?

"No." I bluntly refused.

"Okay, it's a deal!" Tainaka shook the brigade leader's hand, completely oblivious of my refusal.

"Hold on a sec-"

"Alright, Kyon and I will help you with the preparations. See you at Christmas eve, Yamamoto!"

And with that, Suzumiya left. I caught a glance of Kyon giving me an apologetic look before the door closed. Don't worry, my good man, it's not your fault.

"Why the hell did you do that?" I asked Tainaka in annoyance after the brigade left the room.

"Because I'm the president of the club, a.k.a. your boss." She haughtily said.

"Oh great, you got some of Suzumiya's personality rubbed onto you." I muttered.

"Well, there's no other suitable place other than yours. It's just a once-a-year thing, don't worry about it." Tainaka brewed herself a cup of tea, still in a state of excitement like the first time Archimedes found out about the laws of water. "And you're not gonna be the only one to do the preparations, Haruhi and Kyon will help. Just think of it as doing the others a favor, you like helping people, right?"

I don't know what possessed Tainaka into being able to think rationally, but that is a good reason for me to provide the place.

"Alright, you've convinced me." I declared defeat.

Smiling widely, the president gave me a thumbs up. "Great! This is gonna be fun!" she exclaimed excitedly.

Well, it seems our beloved president had changed. Her managing to successfully persuade me was something I did not expect. Whoever did this, I applaud them for being able to alter this particular eccentric girl's way of thinking.

December 24th, morning. I woke up with something I did not see coming. I was not experienced in hanging out with a certain peculiar student that somehow had ruined the life of a friend of mine in just a blink of an eye. Thus, I know not of her behavior when socializing with others. One thing for sure, the act she pulled this morning was rather out of this world.

"Get the hell up, Yamamoto! The place is still in shambles!"

I immediately got up, sitting up straight on my bed. Turning my head slowly, my mind began to register what was happening.

"How the hell did you get in here!" I exclaimed in surprise.

Suzumiya stood tall beside my bed, behind her were Kyon and Tanigawa. The former looked at me with an apologetic look, while the latter kept his bright smile.

"Doesn't matter, now get up and start working! You boys will be decorating. Mio and I will take care of the cooking. Come on, chop-chop!"

After announcing the command in a rather straightforward way, Suzumiya left the room. I stood up from my bed and blinked my eyes a few times.

"Sorry for that, Yamamoto. I couldn't stop her." Kyon apologized.

"Not your fault." I stated, walking over to the bathroom. "What I'm curious at is how in the name of the Lord did she get in here?" Splashing my face with the freezing water, I could feel my senses kicking in.

"I don't think you want to know."

"Humor me."

Kyon pressed the palm of his hand to his face, I assumed that was his first facepalm for the day. "The back door, she climbed the fence through Tanigawa's property."

"The door is locked." I stated whilst brushing my teeth.

"A lockpick could counter that."

I spat at the sink, not believing the words that just came out of Kyon's mouth. "She had a lockpick in her person?" I turned my head towards the cynic in disbelief.

"No, she managed to find a bobby pin around the backyard."

Dammit, I should've rigged a shotgun in my back door.

All of that aside, I'm quite amazed how she managed to pick a lock with a single bobby pin. Despite her lack of a common sense, that girl sure is skilled in almost everything.

"She mentioned something about Akiyama." I stated, wiping my face with a towel.

"Yes, Mio-san decided to help with the cooking." Tanigawa explained, looking around the room with interest. "I, for one, can't wait to taste it."

"Hold that feeling of excitement back. We got a lot of work to do." I said, heading out of the room with the two following.

So here's the plan. We're going to hold the party at the living room, where it's spacious enough to hold a lot of people. Number of people who's attending the party will be 14. From the Light Music Club: Yui, Tainaka, Akiyama, Kotobuki, Nakano, Kathy, Yuuki, Tanigawa and myself. From the SOS Brigade: Suzumiya, Kyon, Nagato, Koizumi and Asahina-senpai. Kyon, Tanigawa and I will take care of the decorations. Suzumiya and Akiyama will deal with the cooking.

We discussed the suitable places for various decorating goods, such as tinsels, bells, shiny, sparkly stuff and of course, the Christmas tree. It took a good 5 minutes for us to decide, and the host of the party seemed to be pleased with the arrangements. With no further ado, we started working.

"It's quite magical how Christmas could bring joy and warmth to our hearts."

Tanigawa's statement momentarily diverted us from our tasks. We were placing a few decorations here and there, just to make the place more Christmas-y

"There's no such thing as magic." I stated, taping a line of tinsel to the huge dining table. "It's the lights and colors that render your mind into a calm state. Think of Christmas without the shiny lights, decorations, and the trees. Naturally, it won't be as 'magical'."

"Do you even have a soul, Yamamoto?" came a voice from the kitchen.

"I'm just revealing the science behind this 'magic of Christmas' thingy."

"Whatever." Suzumiya stated, continuing her work. I heard a small feminine giggle which was Akiyama's.

Few minutes of work, and the place was all colorful. I took the tree from the attic with the help of Kyon. Tanigawa worked on the little details as Kyon and I wiped the tree of dusts and dirt. As we were busy arranging the tree, we overheard a conversation going on between the two girls in the kitchen.

"That's a nice ring, Mio-chan." Suzumiya said between the sounds of a knife colliding with the cutting board.

"Oh, this?" Akiyama raised her hand, showing the beautiful light blue ring to Suzumiya. "Kaito-kun gave this to me last Christmas."

I couldn't see their expressions since their backs were facing us, but I assumed Akiyama was smiling warmly as she remembered the day her love gave the piece of jewelry.

"Is that so? That's wonderful." Suzumiya stated with a hint of interest in her tone. "I wonder how it feels to have someone to love…"

Needless to say, we were rather taken aback. For Suzumiya to even _think_ about love was like an event equal to an alien landing on the face of the earth. Kyon stopped his work and focused his hearing on the kitchen.

No, he wasn't curious. He was _pretty damn interested_.

"Hmm, it's not something that you can put into words, actually." Akiyama began, sounding like a big sister tutoring her little sister. "You have to experience it to know how it feels."

"I always think of love as a mental illness." Suzumiya took another onion and chopped it, much slower and softer this time.

"Oh, no it's not." Chuckling a bit, the black haired girl continued her explanation. "Trust me, Suzumiya-san, it's a feeling like no other. Now, do you have someone in mind?"

Suzumiya stopped her chopping, slowly turning her head towards her cooking companion. Akiyama gave the girl an interested smile as their eyes met. After a while, the yellow-ribboned girl grinned widely, gaining her usual self back.

"Why so formal, Mio-chan? You can call me Haruhi!" Suzumiya exclaimed, smacking Akiyama's shoulder. A bit too hard, I noticed.

"Aha ha ha, okay, Haruhi." The bassist rubbed her shoulder whilst laughing nervously.

Thus, the conversation ended.

"So, it's still a mystery, huh?" Kyon began in a low voice, continuing his work.

"I guess so, she was clearly dodging the question." I muttered. "Caught your interest, eh?"

"Not really." The short haired man stated, shifting his eyes nervously.

Liar.

We set up the tree after it was cleaned. The girls decided to help in decorating it while waiting for the cookies to bake. With some music playing on the PS3, we decorated the small, yet strong Christmas tree together.

"It's so beautiful." Akiyama stated, gazing at the half-decorated tree.

"It sure is." Tanigawa hung a plastic star covered in glitter on one of the branches. "Decorating a Christmas tree is one of the most fun things to do in Christmas." Turning his head towards his girlfriend, he smiled brightly. "And doing it with you, I couldn't be happier."

Akiyama smiled happily, reflexively hugging her boyfriend whilst letting out a giggle.

Hey, you get lovey-dovey in my house, I'm gonna kick you out to the freezing winds outside.

I shot a glance at Suzumiya. Instead of decorating the tree, she was observing the lovers intently like a detective inspecting evidence at the crime scene.

Well, it is a bit vague at the moment, but I'm sure Suzumiya is interested in a feeling that's new to her. Akiyama is probably right, love isn't something that can be put into words, it's something we have to feel for ourselves in order to understand it.

Whatever. It's not like I'm interested anyway. I have other important things to think of, such as what to build next in Minecraft.

"Alright, it's done!"

Suzumiya's announcement marked the end of the decorating session. Standing in front of us was a bright Christmas tree, with lights that changed colors in every tick of the clock. We took a moment to admire its beauty, before hearing the doorbell ringing.

The host of the party ran up to the door with excitement, we followed suit. Opening the door, we were greeted by the sight of the others, still in their thick winter clothes.

"Merry Christmas!" They all shouted simultaneously, save Nagato Yuki, who managed to stay as calm as Mount Fuji in the midst of the loud crowd.

"Welcome! Come on in, put your coats over there!" Suzumiya pointed to the coat rack, letting the others in. "Make yourselves at home!"

Hey, this is my house, if I remember correctly.

"Wow, it's so beautiful." Asahina-senpai commented as she walked in, turning her head around to admire the place. After a while, she turned to Kyon, Tanigawa and I with a soft smile. "Good job, you three!"

Kyon responded by rubbing his head, smiling goofily. Tanigawa kept his smile and waved it away like it was nothing. I stood still, not letting out a word.

"Alright, let's have a blast!"

Tainaka's announcement was followed by a cheer from the others. With that as the cue, the guests invaded the house.

I stood still at the corner of the room, a bottle of rum in my hand. Of course, I'm keeping this stuff for myself, I don't want the others to get wasted in my damn property.

Well, not much to tell here, but I guess I'll just describe the current situation.

Yui was chatting and getting along with Suzumiya, talking something about the mysteries of the world. I'm guessing Suzumiya was the one who started the conversation.

Akiyama was kept company by her boyfriend. The romantic duo discussed something about the next school festival along with Koizumi. Needless to say, they were having a good time.

Kotobuki took her time in learning a few things about tea-brewing, courtesy of Asahina-senpai. The redhead looked pleased as she pointed out a few important things in brewing a delicious cup of tea. I guess that's one of her characteristics as a senpai. Always happy to help.

Kathy, Nakano and Yuuki were by the table. They tried out various sweets and cookies, made by Suzumiya and Akiyama. It was easy to specify their level of satisfaction just by looking at their faces.

Unmoving and unchanging, Nagato Yuki sat at the couch, reading a small, pocket book of some sort. Tainaka tried to spark up a conversation, only to fail miserably. Nagato's replies were short, and straight like an arrow, disabling the tomboy from getting to know the book-loving girl a bit further.

"I guess our efforts were not wasted."

Kyon walked over to me, a paper cup of orange juice in his hand. Standing beside me, he observed the others with boredom.

"Yeah, they loved it." I stated, noting the happy faces around me.

"Again, sorry for the ruckus Haruhi caused this morning."

"Like I said, it's not your fault. Don't worry about it." I took a swig from the bottle, feeling the warm sensation all over my body. "It's that girl's brain that needs checking."

"I guess so." Kyon muttered, taking a sip of the fresh orange juice.

I averted my attention back to the others. Kotobuki, Kathy, Tanigawa, Yuuki and Suzumiya were gathering in a circle, quietly discussing something. The music from the PS3 disabled me from eavesdropping, thus, I decided to let it go.

As I turned my head towards my companion, I noticed he was spacing out, staring at the floor like a soulless body.

"Something on your mind?" I asked, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"N-nothing, don't mind me." Kyon stuttered, turning his head away.

"Suzumiya, isn't it?"

Pausing for a second, the shorter man sighed.

"Yeah…"

"It's none of my business, but I think she's rather interested." Taking another swig from the bottle, I let out a satisfied sigh. "Why are you so concerned, anyway?"

"I don't know, it's bugging the hell out of me."

"That's preposterous, there's no such thing as feeling concerned without reason." I placed the empty rum bottle on a table, walking towards the snacks and cookies. "Well, whatever you're gonna do, I bid you good luck. You're gonna need it, I guess."

I tried the cookies made by the two girls. It was good, Suzumiya and Akiyama had great skills in cooking. Akiyama I could understand, she was a real woman, a picture of a perfect lady. But Suzumiya being able to produce such magnificent meal was a bit off. Not that it's a bad thing, but it's quite a rarity for an oddball like her to be able to cook. Then again, Suzumiya is rather flexible in learning things, I guess that's one thing that I admired from her.

"Now!"

I turned my head towards my left just as I was busy trying out the snacks. I saw a flash of three people: Yuuki, Kathy and Suzumiya, charging towards me with their shoulders in front. Just before I could react, I was pushed by the magnificent force of the three chargers. Fortunately, I was able to regain my balance, preventing my face from being introduced to the hardwood floor. After standing up straight, I glared at the threesome.

"The hell was that for?"

The answer was nonverbal. They all simply pointed their index fingers up with a smirk on each of their faces. Curious, I decided to look towards the direction they were pointing at.

Mistletoe. How classy.

I don't think I've placed this thing before, somebody must've sneaked up and taped it to the ceiling without me noticing.

Just as I was thinking of getting revenge on that 'somebody', I felt a light tap on my shoulder.

"Are you okay, Hiromi-kun?"

I turned towards the voice, greeted by the sight of Yui with a worried expression on her face.

Wait, her standing there means…

The room went to a complete silence, even the music was unheard. I turned my head towards the others, only to see all pairs of eyes were on me. Even the always-reading petite girl named Nagato Yuki had her head raised, staring at me expressionlessly.

"So," Kathy cleared her throat, breaking the silence. "You gonna do it?"

"Do what?" Yui asked, completely oblivious of the situation she was in.

"Look above you, Yui-chan!" Suzumiya said, a bit too excited, I noted.

Yui tilted her head up. As she realized what was happening, she went to a panic.

"Wh-what!" The airhead exclaimed, her face turning red.

"Well, this is an unexpected turn of events." Koizumi stated with his smile still intact, his face showed great interest.

"Aww, how cute." Asahina-senpai added before a giggle escaped her lips.

"Go for it!" Tainaka exclaimed, thrusting her fist into the air.

"This is stupid." I stated, getting annoyed at the comments.

"Come on, you're gonna break the tradition? That's rude of you!" Yuuki said.

"I couldn't care less about some goddamn stupid tradition that originated from what, 200 years ago?"

"You have to do it, Yamamoto!" Kathy demanded.

I woke up today with someone breaking and entering my house, being forced to decorate this place in the freezing air of winter, and now this? Give me a goddamn break! And that bottle of rum didn't help, either!

"Make me." I challenged, glaring at the three that forcefully pushed me into this mess.

We stood still for a couple of seconds. It was like a quick draw match in an old western movie.

Making my first move, I swiftly ran towards my right. Suzumiya, Kathy and Yuuki followed suit. Just as I was about to turn into a corner, Tanigawa appeared in front of me. He took the chance to initiate an attempt to grab by thrusting his hand towards me, which I deflected by ducking and grabbing his arm. Using his momentum, I lightly threw him to the ground. The others were catching up to me, and I had no other option but to fight.

Yuuki jumped towards me like a tiger attacking its prey. I easily dodged it by strafing to the right. What I didn't notice was the fact that Yuuki's action was a distraction. I saw Suzumiya charging towards me in high speed with her usual excited expression. My brain told me to react, but it was too late. The girl grabbed my arm, twisting it as she moved to my back, then threw me to the ground.

"Huh, that was easy." Suzumiya said, putting me into an armlock.

"That's quite a risky move, don't you think?" Kathy walked over to me. "Trying to fight after a bottle of rum."

"Worth a try." I muttered, feeling a sharp pain going through my arm. "Argh! Alright, I'll do what you want! Let me go!"

"Why should I trust you?" Suzumiya asked me in a threatening tone.

"I'm a man of my word." I stated through gritted teeth.

Suzumiya was in doubt for a while, before deciding to let me go. I stood straight up, rubbing my arm.

"Alright, whenever you're ready, Yui!" Kathy turned towards the airhead, giving her a thumbs up.

Yui's face was still red as she walked over to me. She shifted her eyes nervously, an anxious look on her face. It was then my brain decided to remind me something said by my father a long time ago.

_Remember, son. Everytime you make a promise, don't ever break it. You might as well rip your balls off if you ever break a promise._

Damn it, dad! Why did you have to tell me that? I'm gonna pull you out of hell and punch the bejesus out of your face when I have the chance!

"Let's just make it quick." I stated, grabbing Yui's shoulder.

Goddamnit! I'm going to regret this!

I closed my eyes, slowly leaning down closer to Yui's face. I could hear the squeals and giggles from the girls as I felt Yui's breath on my face.

Just before my lips met hers, it was blocked by something. I opened my eyes to see Yui smiling warmly, her index finger on my lips.

"You don't have to do it, Hiromi-kun." She said to me with an assuring smile. "It's okay if you don't want to."

What?

"Forcing things to someone isn't good, right everyone?" Yui turned her head to the others.

"Uh, yeah, of course it isn't." Kathy laughed nervously, rubbing her head.

"See? You don't have to do it, Hiromi-kun!" Turning her head back to me, Yui tapped my shoulder.

I tiredly sighed, feeling the alcohol starting to kick in. "Next time, tell me beforehand." I stated, walking towards the corner of the room.

The others carried on like usual, like nothing had happened. Chats initiated, food eaten, drinks taken. It was as if I had just travelled back in time.

But if I really were in the past, something didn't add up. The fact that Yui held an expression of regret and disappointment was not present a few minutes before.

Is she disappointed because of me? If so, why? Is it because I refused to kiss her?

I was suddenly hit by a giant, invisible, blue hammer of guilt. Knowing I was the one responsible for Yui's disappointment didn't feel good at all.

Why should I feel guilty? How the girl feels is none of my concern, but I just know this feeling is not going anywhere anytime soon.

It was then I saw the empty bottle on the table.

Oh yeah, I gulped down a bottle of rum not long ago. Well then, it's obviously the alcohol that makes me unable to think clearly.

I guess I'll consume less alcohol from now on.

* * *

><p><strong>So yeah, I even threw in the SOS Brigade just to get Hiromi and Yui together.<strong>

**Because epic.**


	56. Sympathy for the Cynic

**Author's note: Once again, big thanks to Truner for the help with this chapter!**

**I was planning to focus on Hiromi-Yui with a side of Kyon-Haruhi in this chapter. Turns out, I got carried away, and the chapter ended up the other way around. I suck at setting my priorities straight.**

**Oh well, there's still a lot of room for Hiromi-Yui.**

* * *

><p>"So, how was New Year's to you?"<p>

"Not much, same old, same old."

The students in the cafeteria were mostly chatting with their friends as the cold winter air started to settle in. I was no different. I took a walk around school during the 2nd break time, only to cross paths with Kyon. Keeping in mind that I had to return the favor he did last Christmas, I decided to buy him a can of warm coffee from the vending machine. We were seated in the cafeteria, warmed only by the cheap coffee that somehow worked like magic in the freezing temperature.

"How's Suzumiya, by the way?"

Kyon turned his head to me, giving me a look of disapproval.

"Why would you ask that?"

"Curiosity."

I always love to know what people have in their minds from time to time. Not that I care for their well-being. It's strictly knowledge for me, and like any other people in this world, I always look for a chance to learn new things.

The cynic paused for a bit, before deciding to spill the beans. "From the looks of it, she's getting more and more interested in… y'know." He took a sip from the can after those words.

"Huh, never thought that would happen." I muttered.

"My sentiments exactly." Letting out a tired sigh, Kyon hung his head. "That girl is always unpredictable."

We ended the conversation thus. Reclining back on the chair, I shifted my eyes towards the other students. It seemed the hot topic for the day was about a certain event on the morrow. Since the place was mostly filled with girls, they pretty much talked about it the whole time. Well, it won't take a genius to figure out what this 'event' is.

"Valentine's tomorrow, huh?"

We have a winner.

"Yeah, took me a while to notice." I grabbed my coffee can and gulped down the contents, feeling the warmth spreading all over my body. "Why are you so interested?"

"I'm not."

"Your face told me you are."

Kyon gave me an annoyed look.

"Thanks for the coffee, Yamamoto. I'll see you in class." Without answering my question, the man stood up, walking towards the school building with haste.

"Whatever…"

I'm pretty sure Suzumiya will do something a bit out of the ordinary. Whatever it is, I don't think Kyon will enjoy it.

After school, I headed towards the clubroom all by myself. Tanigawa and Yuuki went somewhere without noticing me, thus I was alone.

Standing in front of the door, I focused on listening to the sounds inside.

Well, it should be obvious if a room filled with girls, and the event for tomorrow is Valentine's, they would be talking about it. I decided to stand still outside the door, not wanting the romance-y conversation reached my ears.

It was a feeble attempt. I had forgotten the fact that my sense of hearing was actually pretty sharp.

"So, what are you going to make, Azusa?" Akiyama asked her 'little sister'.

"Hmm, I don't know, I can't decide…" Nakano replied.

"Whatever it'll be, I'm sure Tanaka would be delighted." Kathy cheered the kohai up. "Hell, you give that guy a pile of mud, I think he'd fly in happiness."

"I'd never do that!" The twin ponytailed girl exclaimed.

Their voices were muffled, but clear enough for me to make out. I leaned against the wall, closing my eyes.

One little fact I've overlooked is that if you close your eyes, your sense of hearing will become more effective.

A few minutes of Valentine's-related conversations, I took a step forwards, deciding to just walk away and kill time until the boys arrived.

"How about you, Yui?"

Tainaka's voice stopped me on my tracks for some reason. I went back to my previous spot, curiosity and interest filled my mind.

"Hmm?"

"Are you gonna make another chocolate for Yamamoto this year?" Tainaka lowered her voice for obvious reasons.

"Of course, I'll make a better one this year!"

Her answer was straight as an arrow, and I didn't hear a single doubt in her tone.

"Wait, Yui gave Yamamoto a chocolate last year?" Kathy asked.

"Yes, it was a rather special event." Kotobuki innocently stated.

You lie, Kotobuki. Why must you lie!

"Obligatory chocolate?" Kathy pried, her voice was of curiosity.

"Umm…" Yui hummed nervously. "I- I don't know." She stuttered, followed with a nervous laugh.

"That's not a valid answer…" Akiyama stated.

"Yeah, it's either yes or no. So which is it?" Tainaka asked with interest.

I could imagine Yui hanging her head in doubt as silence filled the room. For some unknown reason, I was a bit curious myself.

"It's-"

"Yo, Hiromi. Whatcha doin'?"

The voice in front of me took me by surprise. Yui's answer didn't reach my ears, and the truth remained a mystery.

Yuuki stood there, Tanigawa beside him. The duo fixed their eyes on me with a questioning look.

"Nothing." I stated, opening the door. Yuuki shared a glance with Tanigawa, before shrugging in unison.

The familiar scent infiltrated my nostrils as I walked inside. The girls turned their heads simultaneously as we came barging in. Yui was a bit in panic after she saw me, desperately trying to avoid eye contact at all cost.

"Hey," Kathy greeted us with a smile. "Took you guys long enough."

"Sorry, boys talk." Yuuki tossed his bag to the bench. "Hiromi's been standing in front of the door for quite some time, though."

Damn it, Yuuki! Some tales are best left untold!

"What were you doing?" Tainaka asked with suspicion. Yui's panic couldn't get any worse.

"Nothing." I answered, taking a seat at the bench.

I could feel all eyes on me as I grabbed Yui's acoustic guitar. Ignoring the stares, I played some random tune to keep me busy.

"Stubborn bastard." Kathy muttered.

Whatever.

The next day, like usual, I was the first one to enter the class. Seeing it wasn't pretty dirty, I decided to skip the cleaning routine just for the day. Sitting at my desk, I rested my head and closed my eyes.

The door slid open, waking me up from my short nap.

Enter Suzumiya Haruhi, her trademark yellow ribbons and hairband still there. With a bit of a haste, she walked towards her seat, carefully placing her bag on the desk.

Something's off. Suzumiya would throw that bag like it was a dead rat. I've seen her doing it everyday, why stop doing it now? Now that I'm aware, it seems this girl holds a different expression than usual. What is that… anxiety?

They often said that curiosity leads to two paths: one is learning something new, which may or may not be valuable, depending on the situation. The other one, is a good, comfortable sleep with the fishes.

Well, if I were to say something wrong to this girl, the worst case scenario would be me being thrown out of the class through the thin windows. I'd fly down with a few glass shards around me, and ultimately, landing on the hard grounds of the school with a few broken bones.

Not so bad, I'll risk it.

"Something bothering you?" I asked, breaking the silence.

Suzumiya turned her head to me, the yellow ribbons waved slightly as her expression turned into one of annoyance.

"None of your business."

Worth a shot.

Awkward silence filled the room after the short conversation. We sat there with a few chairs and tables separating us. It was still about 30 minutes for the bell to ring its glorious sound, and there were no signs of other students appearing soon. I took the chance to, once again, rest my head down and let my mind recuperate for a short while.

"Hey, Yamamoto…"

"What?" I asked, not moving a single bit.

"What do you think of Yui-chan?"

Reflexively, I sat straight up. Turning my head towards Suzumiya, I furrowed my eyebrows. She was staring at me with a serious look, though there was a hint of curiosity on her face.

"She's a friend." I answered, turning my head back.

"I don't believe you."

"Why are you so interested, anyway?"

Just before she could answer, the door slid open once again. Tainaka and Kotobuki came barging in, the former humming 'Behind Blue Eyes' by The Who while the latter kept her gentle smile.

I took a glance at Suzumiya. Her eyes focused on the floor, as if she was weighing on her options. After a few seconds, she abruptly stood up.

"Ritsu, Mugi, I need to talk to you guys."

"Huh? Sure, sure."

Suzumiya led the two outside, obviously not wanting me to hear the conversation.

I tried closing my eyes and focusing on the sounds outside. Not good, I can't hear them at all. I guess I'll just let it go this time.

"You're going to what!"

Tainaka's muffled shout was followed by a hush from the other two. After a short while, they entered the class with each a different expression than before.

Tainaka and Kotobuki were smiling excitedly for some unknown reason. Suzumiya made a feeble attempt in hiding her blush as she took her seat, her face held a mix of excitement, and anxiety.

Just what the hell is she trying to pull this time?

A few minutes passed, and the other students were appearing one by one. Just as I was minding my own business, a voice gained my attention.

"Here, Hiromi-kun!"

I turned my head to see Yui smiling happily, holding a box of chocolate with her two small hands.

The class went to an abrupt silence as Yui offered me the box. I could see the whole class holding a surprised expression as they fixed their eyes on us.

"Thanks." I nonchalantly stated, taking the box.

I heard a few gasps and squeals after I placed the box on my desk. I was a bit confused at the reaction, but I decided to ignore it.

"It's better than last year, I'm sure of it!" Yui said to me, smiling cheerfully.

"I'll try it later." I stated.

I picked up some of the voices the class made, and it wasn't really pleasing to my ears.

_"Are they dating already?"_

_"Wow, Yui-chan is so brave, giving it to him just like that."_

_"Damn you, Yamamoto. I'm jealous!"_

_"Wait, she gave him a chocolate last year?"_

I took no notice of the whispering comments and remained unmoving, waiting for the bell to ring.

One thing I couldn't ignore was the feeling of being watched. There was a pair of eyes, monitoring me like a hawk observing its prey from afar.

It took me a while to realize those eyes belonged to Suzumiya.

Thankfully, as the bell rang, the feeling was gone. If I were to be watched the whole time, I might be having a difficult time in letting the knowledge and wisdom the teachers brought to register into my mind. After hours of grueling lessons, the last bell rang.

Just as I was putting on my coat, I heard a loud noise coming from behind me.

"Kyon, I need to talk to you!"

I turned my head towards my six. Suzumiya was blushing quite visibly as she gazed the man in front of her.

"What is it? Can't we do it at the clubroom?" Kyon lazily asked.

Without much of a delay, Suzumiya grabbed Kyon by his tie. The move was so fast, I won't be able to see it if I blinked my eyes.

"I mean just the both of us!"

After those words, Suzumiya bolted out of the room, dragging Kyon in the process. It happened so quickly, even The Flash would be ashamed.

"Let's follow them!"

What?

Tainaka's announcement was an inspiration for the others. Yuuki, Tanigawa, Kotobuki, and even Yui followed the tomboy.

A bit curious myself, I followed them.

"What is she planning, anyway?" I asked Kotobuki after I caught up with her.

"Haruhi-chan is going to give Kyon-kun a chocolate today." She replied innocently, her face clearly showing enthusiasm.

"That's… interesting." I muttered.

"Haruhi is in love! Oh, how exciting youth is!" Tainaka dramatically exclaimed.

"Stop. Quiet down." I halted the others as we reached the stairs.

They were last seen heading towards the rooftop, so it would be wise to not produce excessive noise at the stairs. God knows how sharp that girl is, she might be able to hear us from a mile away.

We took our steps quietly, progressing slowly towards the top floor. Eventually, we reached the exit to the rooftop. Crouching in front of it, we pressed our ears to the cold, wooden door.

"There's something on my mind lately…" Suzumiya began in such a low voice, I could barely hear it.

"And that is…?" Kyon asked, though I believed he knew the answer.

"Ever since I saw the Light Music Club… I have a nagging feeling I can't understand." She lowered her voice even further, decreasing the effectiveness of our eavesdropping. "And especially at that Christmas party… I kept feeling strange when I saw Tanigawa-kun with Mio-chan. After a while, I realized that this feeling… might be love."

I slid the door open a bit, one eye peeking out through the gap. Suzumiya had her head down, while Kyon was staring at his leader with an uncomfortable look.

"And what does that have to do with me?"

Suzumiya jolted her head towards the cynic in annoyance. She took something out from her bag and shoved it to Kyon's hands.

"As a brigade member, you have to help the commander!"

Kyon was taken aback, and in a bit of panic. That something turned out to be a box of chocolate, which, I assumed, was made by the own hands of Suzumiya Haruhi.

"What are you talking about?" the man asked, not believing the event that had just happened.

"You're going to help me find out whether this feeling is actually love or not!" Stabbing Kyon's chest with her index finger, Suzumiya took a step forwards with every word that came out of her mouth. "For starters, you will walk with me everyday to school! After the club activities, you will walk me home! On holidays, you will take me somewhere that doesn't bore me!"

Stopping as Kyon's back connected to the fence, Suzumiya drew a long breath.

"That is an order!"

Leaving the poor man dazed and confused, Suzumiya walked towards us with haste.

"Oh, crap. Run!"

Yuuki gestured the others to return downstairs, not wanting an unnecessary encounter with the crazed girl. We ran away with quick and light footsteps, getting out of sight just before the door slid open roughly.

"That was awesome!" Tainaka exclaimed as we walked towards the music room.

"Yes, it is quite an unexpected turn of events." Tanigawa agreed.

"I'm really excited to see what happens next!" Kotobuki squealed, miserably failing to hide her excitement.

Well, all of that aside, I feel sorry for Kyon. That guy was living a normal, carefree student life. Ever since his encounter with Suzumiya, I guess you could say his life turns to a living hell. Now that I think of it, I'm actually living a pretty damn good life compared to him.

Kyon, my sympathies.


	57. A Game of Chance and Skill

**Author's note: So, I just found out that my dad reads this story.**

**...Hi, dad.**

**...**

**...this is awkward.**

**Anyways, today I learned that Kyon's POV is a pain in the balls to write. Damn him and his cynical character.**

* * *

><p>"Damn it…"<p>

It was a voice that clearly reflected annoyance. It came out of someone's mouth, and faded away into the breeze just in a split second. I turned my head towards the source to see a certain cynic, frowning at the fields below us. As usual, I spent my time on the rooftop during the second break time. It was then someone decided to accompany me. This 'someone' turned out to be Kyon.

"What's on your mind?" I asked, taking a sip of the cheap coffee originated from the school's vending machine. For some reason, I was addicted to it since the first time I bought it for this friend of mine.

"You could probably guess."

Ah, White Day.

Kyon had told the occurrence during Valentine's to me, and just like I had guessed, he was NOT amused. The act Suzumiya pulled a month ago was not something a normal girl with brains and a common sense would do. If I were to share this story with someone, I would probably be asked to consult a psychiatrist.

"Get one of those from the stores, they're quite expensive, but it should save you the trouble."

"That was my plan." Kyon turned his head to me, showing his annoyed expression. "Until she said she wanted a homemade one."

Well, that seems to be rather problematic.

"Have you any experience in cooking?"

"Not a single bit."

Balls. The event is in three days, I don't think it's quite possible to wing it. I don't even want to think what would happen if Kyon gave Suzumiya a half assed attempt in returning a favor.

"Come by my house tomorrow if you have nothing to do." I said, remembering the day in the morrow was Saturday.

"I'm free. What, you're gonna teach me how to bake cookies?"

"I see no other option." I turned my head to him. "Unless you want to be taught by your mother."

Well, one other option is to have me bake some for him. But I don't think I should do that. It's an act that holds no positive results whatsoever. I know, I would save the trouble for Kyon, but he won't get any experience in cooking.

Kyon crossed his arms as he weighed on his options. After a few seconds, he nodded his head.

"I'll take the lesson. I don't think it'll be effective learning with my little sister in the house."

"Alright."

The bell rang, disabling us from having further conversations. We walked back towards the class to once again face the wave of unforgiving lessons.

The next day, Kyon came to my place as promised. He looked as if he just spent his last few hours watching paint dry. Not a single trace of excitement was seen on his face.

"Well, I know it's not going to be fun, but bear with it." I said, gesturing him to come inside.

"I'm all for learning new things." Kyon walked in, taking off his shoes with his feet. "But the fact that I'm forced to do it took the excitement away."

Yeah, I guess you're right. Working under pressure is always a pain in the ass.

I played some music just for the sake of adding some sounds in the house. It was a common trait for some humans to work better if they were accompanied by music, and I was no different.

We took our time in preparing the necessary ingredients and utensils. The sound of the back door creaking open diverted us from our tasks. Curious, we headed towards the source of the noise.

Innocently standing there was Tanigawa, with his usual smile still in place.

"Hello, you two." He greeted.

"Tanigawa? What are you doing here?" Kyon asked, a bit surprised at the uninvited guest.

"He's been infiltrating my house since he moved beside me." I explained, heading back to the kitchen.

Tanigawa chuckled, following me behind. "I apologize. It's just too much of a bother to call you everytime I want to visit."

"I guess so."

I don't mind having you in here, as long as you don't act like a scumbag. But knowing Tanigawa, I guess he's aware of his position as a guest.

"Ah, preparing for the 14th, I see."

"Just a practice run for Kyon." I nodded my head towards the aforementioned person.

"Is that so? Suzumiya-san gave you a chocolate last month?" Tanigawa asked Kyon, though he knew the answer. He was one of the 'eavesdropping squad' a month ago.

"Yeah, in an unordinary way."

Chuckling a bit, Tanigawa narrowed his eyes. "I suppose that is just her way to express her feelings."

"Forcefully ordering someone around and expressing feelings are two different things." Kyon retorted in irritation.

The gentleman raised both of his eyebrows, yet keeping his trademark smile. "Are you assuming that event is actually an order from her?"

"She said it herself."

Yet again, a light chuckle escaped Tanigawa's lips. "I'm sorry for asking this, but did someone ever say to you that you are a bit… slow?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Ah, well, nevermind. Forgive me, please forget what I said." Tanigawa waved his hand apologetically. "Well then, Yamamoto-san, I'll be using the PS3." He turned to leave the kitchen, striding his legs towards the gaming room.

"That guy is like Koizumi's twin brother." Kyon stated in annoyance after the absence of Tanigawa.

"My thoughts exactly."

Despite his frequent attempt in annoying someone, Tanigawa has quite the character. It's a rarity these days to find someone always smiling happily like him. I guess I'll just look at the bright side.

I started the lesson. Starting from making the dough, to some tips in baking it. It took a while, but Kyon seemed to be interested. His feeling of burden was fading away bit by bit, and over time, it was replaced by excitement.

"Now, we wait."

Taking a last glance at the cookie dough inside the oven, we left the kitchen. We took our seats beside Tanigawa, who was replaying MGS4 for some reason.

"You've always been alone, Yamamoto?" Kyon sparked a conversation between the sounds of explosions and whizzing bullets.

"Yeah, ever since 7th grade." I replied, half-watching the game.

"I see..."

**RATATATATATATATA**

**KA-BOOM**

"By the way, Tanigawa, have you made your cookies yet?" Kyon threw a question to the rather busy gentleman.

"I will do it in the morrow. The fresher, the better, don't you think?"

"I guess so."

**!**

"Oh dear."

**RATATATATATA**

_EYAAAGH!_

_Snake? What happened? Snake! SNAAAAAKE!_

**Mission Failed**

"That was fast." I muttered.

Tanigawa chuckled as he chose 'Continue' from the menu. "Forgive me, this is my first run on 'The Boss Extreme'."

Well, that explains it.

"They should be ready now." I stated, looking at the clock.

Moving to the kitchen, Kyon and I took out the cookies from the oven. It was perfectly baked, and there were no defects. After a few minutes of cooling down, we tried the proudly made food.

"Huh, this is good." Kyon said after the first bite.

"Question is: is it good enough for Suzumiya?" I asked.

"Honestly, I don't know." He took another bite. "I think it is. I hope."

Giving a gift is a game of chance if you give it to someone you don't know well. But I guess he knows the girl enough. They've been meeting almost everyday in the course of two years. Plus, Kyon has good observation skills. It's only logical for him to know his leader very well.

"Well, that's all I can do for you." I said, grabbing a bottle of beer from the fridge.

"Thanks, Yamamoto. You've been a great help."

"Don't mention it. One more thing…"

"What?"

"Good luck."

* * *

><p><strong>Untold Story #9: A Short, Fuwa Fuwa Time<strong>

It's unknown whether Yamamoto's wish of good luck would help me in my unnerving mission or not. One thing for sure, every step I take towards the clubroom is like a step closer to hell.

It was after school, and for some reason, the sunshine was a bit more colorful and warm than usual. I just hope this isn't caused by a certain excited someone.

Carrying an object that could potentially destroy the world was nerve-wrecking. From carefully placing it inside my bag, hiking the steep hill to school, and going through class with it. That feeling of uneasiness was hard to go unnoticed.

No, this object isn't a nuclear-powered time bomb. It's not a remote that could trigger a destructive weapon in outer space to shoot its deadly lasers to the earth, nor a sacred, magical orb that could flood the entire ground in just a throw.

It's a bag of cookies.

A simple, bag of cookies that I baked just yesterday.

It's amazing how this one little plastic bag filled with snacks could be an effective way to drive the human race into extinction in just a blink of an eye. All of this nonsense is caused by the one who ruined my intentions of living a normal, carefree student life. A weird, eccentric girl that somehow is the source of my problems since my first year in high school.

Suzumiya Haruhi.

It's a name I won't ever forget. Even if I'm getting old and senile, I believe that name will pop up in my mind every now and then

Standing in front of the clubroom, I braced myself for the moment of truth.

I twisted the knob, feeling as if I was unlocking Lucifer's cage. Pushing the door open, I saw Haruhi facing the window. For some unknown reason, the others were not present, amplifying the tight atmosphere even more.

"Where are the others?" I asked, closing the door.

"Don't know."

What a coincidence… or not.

I placed my bag on the table with cautious motion. Haruhi turned to face me, showing her scowl that somehow became her most used expression.

"Do you have it?"

The weapon of mass destruction? Sure.

I took the item out of my bag. Tossing it to her, Haruhi caught it with grace.

The expression on her face turned into a grin, the one that always got my attention. It clearly showed me that she was planning something, something unordinary or mischievous. Just by taking a glance at that face brought a chill down my spine.

"Good job, Kyon."

I closed my eyes and hoped for the best as I heard the rustling sound of the plastic bag being opened.

This is both a game of chance and skill. I've done my best in making those cookies, now it's just a matter of luck. Come on, Goddess of Fortune! Give me your blessing!

"Hmm, looks good."

My heart was pounding as I shut my eyes even tighter. I saw nothing. All I heard was the crunching sounds of the cookies being destroyed by Haruhi's teeth, followed by the rapid beat of my own heart.

"Hey, this is good!"

Surprised, relieved, and a bit happy, I opened my eyes slowly, turning my head towards Haruhi. It was then I was struck by a sight so amusing, I reflexively widened my eyes and dropped my jaw.

Haruhi was smiling as she gazed at the cookies in the bag. She narrowed her eyes slightly, her soft, pink lips curled upwards.

That smile… it's a smile I haven't seen before. It doesn't reflect arrogance, pride, nor mischief. Those lips and eyes, that expression, they're new to me. Every time I see her smile, I always think that she might have something in her mind, something… malicious. I always go into a state of panic whenever I see that. But this… this is a rarity. It's like finding a Tsuchinoko in the dense woods of Japan.

She was genuinely… happy.

"What's with that stupid look, Kyon?"

Without me realizing, Haruhi was back to her original self. Frowning at me, lips closed tightly, curled down.

I shook my head to get the previous thought out of my brain.

"Nothing." I stated, tilting my head upwards.

"You should be proud, getting a compliment from the brigade leader!" Haruhi pointed an accusing finger at me.

"Yeah, yeah."

Well, I am a bit proud. But I don't think I should say that out loud.

Silence filled the room as I focused on the ceiling. I was snapped out of my dreams when I heard another series of rustling noise.

"I think I'll have more of these." Haruhi muttered, grabbing another cookie from the bag.

I turned my head to her, smirking. "You'll get fat easily." I said, gaining her attention.

"If I do, I'll blame you for giving me unhealthy cookies." She replied, munching on the snack.

I chuckled, closing my eyes as I reclined back on the chair.

"I'll gladly take that blame."

For some reason, it feels really good to have this short time alone with Haruhi. For the past few months, I've been fed with all the 'Haruhi-is-a-God' crap. She's a student, albeit weird and unordinary, that lives her life in such a carefree manner. No, she's not a key to auto-evolution. She's not the cause of a time quake, much less a God.

She's Haruhi.

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><p><strong>I hope I did good with Kyon's POV... It took a large bottle of beer plus a plate of beef and egg to come up with that.<strong>


	58. Third Year: Survival

**Author's note: Well, my father finding out about the story began when I first gave the link to my aunt, who is a big fan of animes. I believe you could guess what happens next.**

**All of the awkwardness aside, he was really proud, though. And he was just reading the first chapter. It might took some time before he reached this chapter. Hey, there's no better feeling than making your parents proud, don't you think?**

**Anyways, this chapter is short, and acts as an opening for the club's third year in high school. And I suppose I should drink more beer, since it could effectively counter writer's block.**

* * *

><p>Spring settled in rather quickly. Without me realizing, the cold winds of winter were no more. Trees started to grow its leaves once again, and the cherry blossoms were blooming with grace. The sight was a bit refreshing after the seemingly long winter, even though I preferred pure, white snow rather than green, wild grasses growing here and there.<p>

To my left and right were North High freshmen, walking up the hill with excitement planted on their innocent faces. It had been two years since I took my first step on the school grounds. It took me a while to remember my first day of school, and unexpectedly, I found myself changing in quite a great amount.

For example, I was not interested in social interactions before. Nowadays, I don't think I'm able to survive for a day without talking to someone.

A light tap on my shoulder snapped me out of my thoughts. A smiling face greeted me, a bright smile that reflected the spring season, fresh and warm.

"Greetings, Yamamoto-san."

Tanigawa walked beside me at a steady pace. He shifted his eyes around us, observing the new students. Chuckling a bit, he turned his head to me.

"Looking at the excited faces of the freshmen is always an enjoyable feeling, don't you think?"

"I couldn't care less." I stated.

They're just eager because it's their first day in high school. Just give them a week, and I'm sure that excited look will vanish away into the realm of unforgiving assignments and lessons. Hell, they might even be unwilling to hike up this damned steep hill.

"But still, it's quite amusing how time could fly away so fast." Tanigawa said, narrowing his eyes as he gazed into the sky.

"Couldn't agree more."

"Looking back to the past days, I feel really thankful for what the others have done."

"What do you mean?" I turned my head to my companion.

Tanigawa's smile remained intact as he focused on the streets.

"Exactly two years ago, I walked up this hill." He began, placing a hand below his chin. "Same clothes, same pair of shoes, same bag." Narrowing his eyes a bit, his expression turned into one of sorrow. "Between all of that, there is one difference…"

"A mask."

Turning his head to me, the gentleman regained his usual smile. "Indeed. The smile I wore was nothing but a mask. A fake expression that I had practiced into perfection as my school life goes." He turned his head back to the streets. "And it was successfully broken into pieces by a group of people- unique, kind people that somehow became my most trusted friends."

I could guess who those people might be.

"Well, I suppose a name isn't necessary. Don't you feel the same way about them, Yamamoto-san?"

"Maybe…"

"I won't take that as an answer."

I frowned in annoyance. It looks like this guy just leveled up his skill in annoying people.

"I'm sorry, I have no intentions in annoying you whatsoever, it's just unlike you to be giving a limited amount of thought into something."

You have a point.

"I believe I do feel the same, yeah." I stated, carefully checking the red light as we crossed the street. "It's hard to get someone's trust nowadays, but they can be trusted, I can see it in their eyes, hear it in their voices. They don't plan anything harmful against me, unlike most people I know back in the days. Truth be told, I've never met a group of people that could be so kind and caring."

"I wholeheartedly agree." Tanigawa fixed his hair after a few cars passed by. "I believe we should show our gratitude to them some time soon."

"That is quite necessary, yeah." I nodded my head in approval. "Though I don't know when and how."

"We should plan this out, make it big somehow."

"Alright, it's a deal."

Arriving at the school, we headed towards the hall for the welcoming ceremony. It was long, tedious and boring. I couldn't even figure out how those freshmen managed to keep their excited face as the school principal held the speech.

Finally escaping the crowded place, I went to the shoe locker to rendezvous with the others. There were students gathered up to a pile in front of the announcement board, excited of their class assignments.

"Alright, Yamamoto, we need your help." Tainaka said, pointing towards the crowded place.

I reluctantly headed towards the bunch of excited juniors and freshmen. Standing behind them, I scanned the papers for our names.

After a short while, I managed to find my name on class 3-2's paper. It was then I was struck by a lightning of confusion.

Yui, Akiyama, Kotobuki, Tainaka, Yuuki, Kathy, Tanigawa, Manabe, Suzumiya, Nagato, Koizumi, Kyon and I. We were in the same class.

"Well, this is really unexpected."

The voice coming from behind caught my attention. Standing tall was Tanigawa, raising both of his eyebrows in amusement.

"The chance of this happening is too small, I don't think it's a coincidence." I stated, taking another glace at the taped paper.

"My thoughts exactly, there must be someone involved in this."

The only people who have authorities of class assignments were teachers and the school principal himself. It took not a minute to figure out who was behind this.

"Don't tell me…"

"It is a possibility, yes."

I pressed the palm of my hand to my face. The Light Music Club alone is enough to easily annoy me every now and then, but with the SOS Brigade? I don't think I'll survive for a day in that class.

"It's still vague as of now, but we'll find out soon. For the time being, let us go to our new class." Tanigawa gestured me to follow him.

"Agreed."

We walked towards 3-2 with the girls as excited as ever. I just hope I got my favorite spot this time. Two years of sitting in the middle of the class isn't good for my well being.

Sliding the door open, I cursed under my breath as I saw Suzumiya occupying the seat in the corner of the room.

As an alternative, I tossed my bag towards the desk beside her. At least I wouldn't be stared at by people if I took the hindmost seat.

After comfortably seated, I observed the class for a bit. It seemed Kyon took the seat in front of Suzumiya, just like his last two years. To my right was Kotobuki, followed by Koizumi and Nagato. Yui took the spot in front of me, to her right were Akiyama, Tanigawa and Tainaka. The middle row started with Kathy on the leftmost seat, followed by Yuuki and Manabe.

The class door slid open, initiating the students to take their seats. Entering the room was our homeroom teacher for the year. With her radiating beauty and perfect figure, the teacher walked with grace towards her desk.

My guess is right. It's her that's pulling the strings.

"Good morning, everyone! My name is Yamanaka Sawako, and I'll be your homeroom teacher this year!"

That fake expression fooled no one from the Light Music Club. We knew of her true identity, and were quite aware of the mask she wore in front of the other students every day.

After a half-assed speech and introduction, Yamanaka-sensei left the room, leaving the students with nothing to do.

"So, we're in the same class, huh?" Suzumiya leaned to me with a mischievous grin on her face.

"What does that look supposed to mean?" I asked, frowning at the face in front of me.

"Oh, nothing at all, Yamamoto. Nothing at all." Crossing her arms, she reclined back on her seat with the grin still intact.

I turned my head to Kyon in hope of an answer. Much to my dismay, he just shrugged and turned away, giving me no solid statement whatsoever.

A giggle escaped someone's lips beside me. I turned my head to my right to see Kotobuki covering her mouth.

I know well if Kotobuki is involved in whatever Suzumiya is planning, it would have a connection with lo-

Wait.

Don't tell me…

I jolted my head towards Suzumiya, only to see her smirking at me, then shifting her eyes towards Yui.

Oh dear.

The Light Music Club is planning to get me and Yui together, and now they are assisted by the SOS Brigade? You've got to be kidding me…

I initiated my second facepalm for the day, trying to relieve the stress.

This is gonna be one hell of a year.

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><p><strong>Replaying the first MGS, I think I'm gonna steal some lines for the next chapter...<strong>


	59. Tribute to a Dead Man

**Author's note: ARGH! After three days of coming up with NOTHING at all, I decided to just write a filler. Sorry, I'll be sure to do better in the next chapter.**

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><p>"Yamamoto-kun, when will you stop smoking?"<p>

I reluctantly turned my head towards Akiyama, who was standing there with her boyfriend beside her. It was a regular Sunday, and the left-handed bassist decided to give her boyfriend a visit. For some unknown reason, they ended up in my backyard.

"When my heart stops beating." I answered, puffing on my smoke.

"Didn't you know that a single cigarette contains more than 4,000 chemical compounds? And between all of those, there are at least 40 of them that can cause lung cancer!" Akiyama started her lecture, standing tall in front of me. "And to make matters worse, it's a well-known fact that a single cigarette could shorten your life span by 11 minutes!"

As I tried to tune out the speech, I remembered a line that Snake used once in the first MGS.

"You know a lot of science, but you probably don't know how good a cigarette tastes in the morning."

Hanging her head, Akiyama walked over to her boyfriend in defeat. "I give up." She muttered.

"Well, I believe Yamamoto-san knows what he's doing." Tanigawa comforted his girlfriend.

"I do." I stated, letting out a cloud of smoke from my mouth. "I'm aware of the pros and cons of smoking. And like I said before, I won't smoke if there are too many people around, so the one who will suffer the consequences will be me and me only."

"I'm just trying to help…" Akiyama said, turning her head to me.

"Trying to help people and annoying them are two different things." I stabbed my smoke to the ashtray, killing it in one blow. "Smokers won't stop smoking if you tell them a few scientific facts. The only way to stop the nicotine addiction is from their own will. That depends on their willpower to restrain themselves from lighting a cigarette. But in today's society, where most people smoke, the chances of quitting are really slim."

"So it would seem. But then, Chihaya-san quits very easily, does that mean he has strong willpower?" Tanigawa asked.

"No, that's not the case, apparently." I shook my head, gazing at the sky as I remembered a certain summer day. "You are probably aware that most smokers are the ones that have crappy lives."

"I am aware, yes."

"So he started smoking because his life wasn't really satisfying?" Akiyama piped in, a bit curious.

"Yep. Now, if you took away the reason to smoke, what would you feel?"

"Hypothetically, I would not feel the urge to smoke again." Tanigawa said, putting a serious face. I guess this guy loves solving puzzles.

"Correct." I nodded my head in approval. "That is what happened to him. He was content with his life, that he saw no reason to continue smoking. You could probably guess who brought this 'happiness' to him."

"Ritsu…" Akiyama muttered, looking a bit amazed. "Wow, it's amazing how love could do something like that."

"It is a many splendored thing, yes." Tanigawa nodded his head.

"So, are you gonna try it, Yamamoto-kun?" Akiyama asked, looking up to me with an interested smile.

"Try what?"

"Love."

I frowned as I took another cigarette from the pack. "I couldn't care less about some overrated feeling that could 'magically' stop me from smoking." I placed the cancer stick in my mouth, lighting it with my trusty Zippo.

"Come on, you won't regret it!" Akiyama tried to persuade me.

"I concur." Tanigawa agreed.

"Shut up. I'm not interested, and the decision is final." I spat, getting annoyed at the two intruders.

"I suppose our words reached deaf ears." Tanigawa gave up, tapping his girlfriend's shoulder. "We'll just have to leave it to the eternal grand flow of time to persuade him."

Bring it on.

"I guess so. Pity." Akiyama muttered, looking at me with a fake sympathetic expression.

"Too bad for Hirasawa-san."

"Come again?" I asked, not hearing Tanigawa's previous words.

"Nevermind, you shall learn the truth later."

I frowned at him, before deciding to ignore his words.

Not long after the conversation, Tanigawa took the love of his life home. It was getting dark, and it seemed it would rain soon. I went inside, deciding to boot up my computer.

What would you do if two of your close friends came barging into your house, annoy you, and leave you alone without any bit of remorse in their hearts?

Me, I would search for diamonds in Minecraft.

The next day, class went on like usual. Nothing was different, even though I was titled a senior. The lessons weren't as complex as I thought it would be.

The only difference I could feel was due to a certain group of people that tried to get me together with a certain someone.

After class, we walked towards the old school building along with the SOS Brigade.

"Haruhi, how's the brigade doing without Mikuru-senpai?" Tainaka sparked a conversation as we walked through the crowd of students.

Suzumiya put up a scowl on her face.

"Bad! She's the only perfect brigade mascot, there's no replacement for her!"

Have you no respect for your senpai? Calling her a mascot of your brigade just like that, haven't you thought of what she has done for you in the past two years? At least be thankful! Oh wait, it's Suzumiya Haruhi I'm talking about here, the woman whose brains defied the common human sense.

"How is she a mascot?" Yuuki asked, raising an eyebrow.

The eccentric girl angrily turned her head towards the asker, thrusting her index finger at him. "Can't you see her huge breasts? That is perfect for attracting people! Plus, she has a cute face." Suzumiya then turned her head forwards, focusing on the crowded halls.

Yuuki shook his head in disbelief, immediately regretting his previous actions.

"Cute… huge breasts…" Tainaka muttered, looking up to the ceiling whilst walking. Before you could say 'Mick Taylor', she turned her head to Akiyama with huge grin on the tomboy's face. "How about Mio? Her breasts look huge enough."

"Ri-Ritsu!" Akiyama exclaimed in panic, fiercely blushing.

It's not a common event in Japan for a group of students to be talking about breast sizes while walking in a crowded place. I have two guesses here: I have gone insane, or the world has. I'm starting to think it's the former, maybe I'll contact the nearest asylum to take me in.

"That's a great idea, Ritsu!" Suzumiya slung an arm around Akiyama's shoulder in an overly friendly manner. "How about it, Mio-chan? Care to be an honorary member of the brigade?"

"E-eh? But I don't-"

"My deepest apologies, Suzumiya-san, Mio-san belongs to the Light Music Club, and I believe she won't be able to attend two clubs at a time."

Tanigawa, to the rescue! Resolving a sticky situation without violence or loud shouting involved, this guy deserves a medal.

Suzumiya's face turned into one of disappointment. "Okay, I guess you're right."

Akiyama turned her head towards her savior, and mouthed a 'thank you' followed with a sweet smile.

"Heh, that's quite a skill your friend has." Kyon whispered, his words not reaching the ears of Suzumiya. Him, Koizumi and I were about two meters behind the others.

"I concur. Tanigawa-san is surely a man of words." Koizumi agreed, nodding his head as he smiled lightly.

You both haven't seen his true self, I'm pretty sure if he's fueled with enough rage, he will start stomping on people's necks.

We reached the SOS Brigade clubroom in a matter of minutes. After a quick goodbye, we continued down the hall.

The Light Music Club routine, as I would like to call it, was initiated as usual. Tea for the girls, coffee for the boys. We were just having small talks before Tanigawa stood up, leaning on the windowsill with his bass in his hands.

I went over to the bench, grabbing Yui's acoustic guitar. Without any words exchanged, I started playing the intro for 'Behind Blue Eyes', a song fitting enough for the former self of my friend named Tanigawa.

I signaled him to sing, to which he responded with a nod.

_No one knows what it's like to be the bad man__  
><em>_To be the sad man behind blue eyes__  
><em>_  
>No one knows what it's like<em>_  
><em>_To be hated, to be fated to telling only lies_

_But my dreams, they aren't as empty__  
><em>_As my conscience seems to be__  
><em>_I have hours, only lonely__  
><em>_My love is vengeance that's never free_

It was quite amazing how this gentle sounding man could produce a strong voice just like Roger Daltrey's. I guess that's just another lesson not to judge someone by their appearance.

_No one knows what it's like__  
><em>_To feel these feelings like I do and I blame you!__  
><em>_No one bites back as hard on their anger__  
><em>_None of my pain and woe can show through_

Tainaka and Yuuki jumped to the scene. Sitting behind the drums, the club's president waited impatiently for the part where she came in.

_But my dreams, they aren't as empty__  
><em>_As my conscience seems to be__  
><em>_I have hours only lonely__  
><em>_My love is vengeance, that's never free_

The drums entered the song with a blast along with the lead guitar. We could feel the adrenaline pumping as the beat went up a notch.

_When my fist clenches, crack it open__  
><em>_Before I use it and lose my cool__  
><em>_When I smile, tell me some bad news__  
><em>_Before I laugh and act like a fool_

_And If I swallow anything evil__  
><em>_Put your finger down my throat__  
><em>_And If I shiver, please give me a blanket__  
><em>_Keep me warm, let me wear your coat_

Tainaka's skills were extraordinary. Just like the person she aspired to be, her beat was full of rock n' roll spirit. Fast and hard, just like Keith Moon himself.

_No one knows what it's like to be the bad man__  
><em>_To be the sad man behind blue eyes_

The song ended, initiating a round of applause from the others. Tanigawa kept his smile as he put his bass back to its place.

"You're quite the singer, Tanigawa!" Yuuki complimented, placing his guitar down.

Tanigawa rubbed his head nervously. "You think so? I feel it wasn't that good."

You modest bastard.

"It is good. Just look at your girlfriend here." Kathy stated, jerking her thumb towards the person beside her.

All heads turned towards Akiyama. She was staring at Tanigawa with mouth agape, and eyes wide, not to mention the clear blush on her face. 'Speechless' would be a suitable word to describe the lady's state.

"Uh…" Tanigawa was rather unsure on how to react.

Without a word muttered, Akiyama stood up, approaching her lover with fast, steady steps. Standing in front of him, the girl jumped and wrapped her arms around Tanigawa's neck, engaging into a hug.

"That was awesome, Kaito-kun!" she exclaimed in between giggles.

"I-is that so? Thank you, Mio-san." Tanigawa was taken aback at his girlfriend's reaction. Taking a closer look, I could see a tint of pink on his cheeks.

The two giggled happily, completely oblivious of the people surrounding them. They were in their own world, where the flowers grow, and the birds chirped. A land full of happiness and magic.

Okay, that was a bit over-the-top. But you get the picture.

Oh well, at least that guy's happy. By playing the previous song, he must've been reminded of his old days. Hiding his true identity, all the while keeping up a fake smile just to not make everyone worry over him, biting back his tongue just to get accepted in society. All of those emotions: anger, sorrow, dread. It was all gone, vanished, after he knew of the club's kindness towards him. Now, he's sailing in the calm tides of peace and happiness, with no one to block his path, no weight on his shoulders. He's free to do whatever he wants, free from the shackles of fate.

And it feels great to know that.

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><p><strong>Writer's block, decided to draw a picture. I've updated my Photobucket album with a failed attempt at making a Hiromi skin for Minecraft, and a sketch of both the Light Music Club and the SOS Brigade. The link's in my profile.<strong>

**Might took a while to update, but I _think_ the next chapter will be a bit drama-themed, which I'm not really good at. I'll give it a shot, it's always fun doing new things.**


	60. Jealousy

**Author's note: Sorry for the late update! I just lost the mood to write for some reason. No worries, it's just a temporary thing, I won't ever quit this story, no matter what.**

**So yeah, my shot at writing drama. It sucks. I hate drama. So I said "**** this ****" and write on like usual. I think it ended up a bit on the angst side rather than drama.**

* * *

><p>It was just another day at the unordinary haven of knowledge known as North High. Located on top of the hill with a few weird and eccentric students, it made me wonder how the place went on just like a pure, normal, peaceful school. The commotion caused by the SOS Brigade alone was enough to make an innocent school principal went insane. Thankfully, he was patient enough to handle the reputation-wrecking students.<p>

Walking through the hall with no one accompanying me, I gazed at the setting sun to my right. It was a sight that I got used to. The sun remained unchanging even after almost three years of doing its job. Out of the blue, I began to think of the path that lay before me.

It's only a matter of time until high school ends. All of this, the wooden floor I stepped on, the sight of the setting sun provided by the window, the muffled noises coming from the SOS Brigade clubroom, nice, kind people greeting me warmly as I entered my second home. It's only a matter of time until they're all gone from my everyday life. Somehow just thinking about it makes me a bit melancholic.

I disregarded the disturbing thought and placed my focus back on walking. There's no point in thinking about the future, what matters most is the present. And I sure as hell need a cup of coffee right now in this present time.

Twisting the knob made out of cheap materials, I saw one person as I pushed the door open. Kotobuki turned her head to me, revealing her trademark gentle smile.

"Hello, Yamamoto-kun." She greeted, producing a cup of tea from the brewing corner.

"Hey." I tossed by bag to the bench, heading towards the cupboard to get a container for my caffeine fix.

"I'll brew one for you, if you want." Kotobuki offered, still smiling.

"I'm not 5, I can do it myself." I stated, moving on to the brewing stand.

"If you say so."

I hate being helped by others. Women, especially.

I placed my cup of coffee on the table, grabbing Yui's acoustic guitar along the way. Sitting myself on the chair, I played a random song just to get the stress produced from the earlier lessons out of my mind. Somehow my brain told me to play Queen's 'Jealousy'. A great underrated song from the Gods of music themselves.

Kotobuki seemed to be deep in thought as I hummed the lyrics. She pinched her chin as her head hung down with eyes closed. It stared at her for quite some time, before she nodded her head and regained her usual smile.

"Yamamoto-kun, would you do me a favor?"

It's my oath to provide help to the opposite gender whenever and wherever I could. Knowing that, I've no other choice than to accept, even though I might regret this later on.

"And that is?"

"Would you please teach me how to play the guitar?"

I was rather taken aback by that request. I expected something more… wicked than that, remembering the ideas she came up with after all these years. Needless to say, I was excited. To teach someone in playing the guitar was something I always enjoyed.

"Sure, when do we start?" I asked.

"Whenever you're ready."

"Now?"

"Very well."

I handed her the guitar, moving myself to her side. It should be easier for me to teach the positions of the fingers if I were close to her.

"Alright, for starters, you might want to practice on fingerpicking." I stated, beginning the lesson.

"Why is that?" Kotobuki tossed a question.

"Chords are easy. It'll be more effective if you learn the hard part first."

"Okay, so how should I start?"

I taught her what I taught Yui about two years ago. I noticed Kotobuki was really eager to learn, boosting my teaching spirit even further. I grabbed her right hand to make it easier for me getting the fingers on the right position.

"Here, place you ring finger on the 1st string…"

The door creaked open, revealing Yui in her usual cheerful state. She was about to say something, but the words went back to her throat as she saw me with Kotobuki.

"Great timing. Yui, you might want to share a few tips with Kotobuki. She's learning the guitar now." I said.

"Uh, yeah, of course! Good for you, Mugi-chan!" Yui cheered, followed with a nervous laugh.

Why is she acting a bit weird? Shouldn't she be happy her fellow club member is interested in learning a new thing?

Yui placed her bag next to mine, then sat herself on the bench, grabbing her trusty Les Paul.

I raised an eyebrow at the weird behavior. Deciding to let it go, I continued my lesson with Kotobuki.

"Okay, remember that position. Now, ring the 6th string with your thumb, followed by simultaneous ring of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd strings."

The sounds of the nylon acoustic guitar filled the room. Kotobuki was a quick learner, it was only a matter of time before she mastered the instrument.

"You're doing a good job, keep it up."

"I will, thank you so much, Yamamoto-kun." Kotobuki turned her head to me with a smile.

I smiled at her, feeling a bit proud. It was then I felt someone monitoring us with the eyes of a hawk. I turned my head to Yui, who reacted by jolting her head away. Without a word muttered, she continued playing her guitar.

What was that all about? Why is she acting so weird today? Somehow, I don't want her to act like this. I know it's none of my concern, but this feeling is starting to bug the hell out of me.

I suppose it's nothing to worry about. Yui can get a mood change every now and then, she might bounce back some time soon.

Much to my dismay, I was wrong.

Day after day, her strange behavior remained unchanged. She kept observing me and Kotobuki as we practiced at the clubroom. Even in class, I saw her unable to concentrate even on a single subject. The feeling I had was getting rather uncomfortable. Not wanting to dive in deep to the mouth of madness, I decided to directly ask her.

After school, we went together towards the music room like usual. I kept my eyes peeled for an opportunity to ask. It seems today isn't the best of time, the reason being the others are present. I presume such matters are to be asked in private, since she probably won't want the others to worry.

"Yamamoto-kun, I did it!"

I turned my head towards my new apprentice. With a satisfied smile, Kotobuki reviewed the second lesson I had taught her, and gracefully showed me her mastery of fingerpicking.

"Good. Now, let's continue with Romance D'amour."

I took the guitar from her hands, though not really in the mood for teaching. I decided to just wing it for the sake of a friend.

"Start from the 7th fret here…"

For some reason, my eyes drifted to the airhead seated on the bench. She was looking out the window, showing a face that clearly reflected melancholy. She was like a different person. She was not the Yui I knew. She lost her unique charm for once, and it was rather a heartbreaking sight. Seeing her like that wasn't pleasing at all. It drained my sanity away in every second I stared at her.

"Umm, that's the 9th fret, Yamamoto-kun."

"Huh?"

I snapped my head towards the fretboard. Kotobuki was right, I had my finger on the 9th fret.

"Sorry, didn't notice." I muttered, getting the position right. "Let's get to the 8th fret here…"

"I thought you said 7th fret?"

"I did?"

Kotobuki nodded her head, raising both of her eyebrows.

I let out a tired sigh as I pressed the palm of my hand to my face. What the hell is wrong with me?

"What's gotten into you?" Tainaka asked, curious of my weird behavior.

"Who knows…" I muttered. "Sorry, Kotobuki, you have to continue your training with either Yuuki or Nakano for today."

"Okay, but are you sure you are well, Yamamoto-kun?" The blond asked me with concern.

"Yeah, I'm good."

It's probably nicotine withdrawal. I can't survive a day without a smoke.

Thankfully, the next day was Saturday. I took a walk towards the park to rest my worried mind. The place wasn't really crowded, but I did saw a few couples here and there. For quite some time, this scenic park was labeled as a date spot by a few locals. I seated myself on the bench, far from the crowds. Like clockwork, I pulled a cigarette from the pack.

Unfortunately, I had nothing to keep me busy. It's a well-known fact that if you have nothing or nobody to accompany you, you will automatically think of the events that just recently occurred.

I feebly made an attempt to get the thoughts out of my head. It didn't work, Yui's worried face kept coming back to my mind. Just as I was in the brink of insanity, someone approached me.

"Yamamoto? What are you doing here?"

I turned my head towards the voice. Standing there was Suzumiya, with her yellow ribbons still in place. Kyon stood behind her, looking quite normal for once. Every time I saw him with Suzumiya, he would either be annoyed or scared, but for some unknown reason, I saw none of those expressions on his face.

"Should be asking you the same thing." I muttered, puffing on my cigarette. "One of your 'mystery search'?"

"Nah, I decided to just have fun today." She took a seat beside me, Kyon followed suit.

"With Kyon?"

"Shut up! I just bumped on him on my way here!"

I shifted my eyes to the cynic. He shook his head as he let out a tired sigh.

"Whatever…"

We stared at the couples around us in silence. As I put out my smoke, Suzumiya ordered her 'date'.

"Kyon, I want an ice cream."

"Get it yourself." Kyon nonchalantly muttered.

"It's an order!"

The short haired man sighed for the nth time. "As you wish, Miss Suzumiya." He reluctantly stood up, heading towards the ice cream stand located a few meters away.

After Kyon's absence, Suzumiya gazed at the few couples far in front of us.

"You look troubled." She stated, still locking her eyes at the crowd.

Sharp eyes, Suzumiya. Sharp eyes.

"How so?"

"I just know, alright? Trust me." She answered, turning her head to me. "So what's been bothering you?"

"Whatever it is, it's none of your business." I leaned back on the bench, crossing my arms.

I could see a frown gracing the girl's face.

"Keeping things to yourself isn't good for your health! At least consult someone to get some things out of your mind!"

The fact that I have to talk my problems with someone is simply embarrassing. But now, I suppose I have no other option. This feeling can easily drive me crazy. I guess it's for my own good, too. If this feeling keeps pestering me like a screeching cat in the middle of the night, I won't be able to study effectively in school.

Damn it, if I were a samurai, I'd have to commit suicide right here and right now.

With a bit of hesitation, I started reciting my problems.

"Yui's been acting weird lately."

"Oh yeah, I noticed. She's really quiet in class." Suzumiya nodded her head, lips pursed and eyes tilted upwards.

"So you're aware." I stated, sighing tiredly. "I can't find the reason why."

"What happened before she acts like that?"

I told Suzumiya the events for the week. It seemed she found the problem as I did my storytelling.

"Isn't it obvious?" she asked after I was done.

"No way in hell it is." I said, taking out another cigarette. "She just turned 180° in a flash, nobody knows why."

Frowning once more, Suzumiya let out a sigh, managing to repress her annoyance.

"You're so gullible, Yamamoto."

"What are you talking about?" I asked, letting out a cloud of smoke, careful to not let it reach Suzumiya.

"It's pretty obvious from the way I see it, but I won't tell you what caused her to act like that."

I furrowed my eyebrows in annoyance. "Why won't you?"

"Because it's more fun if you figure it out by yourself." Suzumiya turned her head to me with a smirk.

That's pretty kind of you, lady. I suppose I just have to rack my brains to think of it while this feeling is slowly eating my senses away. Why don't you throw in a mind-bending puzzle while you're at it?

"But all I can tell you, is that the problem started from yourself."

"What? I don't have anything to do with this." I stated in disbelief.

"Oh yes, you do. You're just too gullible to face the truth." Suzumiya leaned closer to me, stabbing her index finger to my chest. "Apologize to her when you have the chance, Yamamoto. The key is in the beginning of the problem itself."

I stared at the girl beside me. She was smiling as she gazed at the view in front of her.

"You've changed, Suzumiya."

"Well, I guess I have." Narrowing her eyes, she hung her head, focusing on the ground, as if remembering something eventful in the past. The sweet smile was still on her face. "Ever since-"

"Here you go, Haruhi."

Without us noticing, Kyon stood there, offering the ice cream his leader ordered.

"Took you long enough." Suzumiya snatched the ice cream from Kyon's hand, regaining her usual self somehow.

"It's a hot Saturday noon, people are lining up for an ice cold treat." The cynic sat beside Suzumiya, sighing contently as his back connected to the bench.

"Minus 5 points for being late!" Suzumiya pointed her finger towards the tired man before gobbling up her ice cream.

I wonder what those points are for, does one get promoted if he gathered enough?

"Thanks for this, though."

Kyon and I jolted our heads towards the girl. She was hanging her head, her hair covered her face. With a closer look, I could see a tint of pink on her cheeks.

"Y-yeah, sure." Kyon stuttered, surprised at the appreciation his ruthless leader showed.

Awkward silence fell upon us. I felt really uncomfortable being a third person in their 'date', even though it was them that approached me. No other choice, I have to get the hell out of here.

"I think I'll take a nap at home, the air is making me drowsy." I said as I stood up, gaining the two's attention.

"Alright, see you on Monday, Yamamoto." Suzumiya waved her hand.

I turned and walked away. After a few steps, I remembered I had forgotten something. I turned 180° and called out to my counselor for the day.

"Suzumiya."

The aforementioned person turned her head to me.

"What?"

"Thanks. I'll try."

Grinning widely, she gave me a thumbs up.

"You can do it, Yamamoto!"

I chuckled as I turned back and started walking towards my house.

Thanks for the confidence boost, Suzumiya.

I'm going to need it.

Monday, the student's routine went on like usual. Even though a few days had passed, Yui's melancholy was still seen. I kept trying to find some time alone with her, but ended up in a failure. Class was crowded, break time and she was gone to God knows where, after school was surrounded by the others from the club. I was desperately trying to find a gap in the fast, spinning sharp-edged fan to get through. One wrong move, and I'd be minced meat.

At the music room, I was unable to think of a single thing. I once again handed my responsibility of teaching Kotobuki to Yuuki and Nakano.

The atmosphere in the room was rather heavy for some reason. It lost its light and cheerful feeling for once. It was as if a gloomy demon dropped by and spread bad news to the other members.

As I kept my eyes on Yui, who was sitting on the bench, she grabbed her bag and walked towards the door.

"I'm going home early today." She stated with a monotonous tone.

"What gives?" Kathy asked.

"I… have to do something with Ui."

"Okay, careful on your way home."

With that, Yui left the room.

You're lying, Yui. I could hear it in your voice. There's no appointment with your sister. You just don't want a certain someone to mess with your already screwed up feelings.

I hung my head, feeling completely hopeless. I need to remedy this situation no matter what. I don't want her to be like that. No, I want the old Yui back.

As if Mother Nature decided to pour lemon juice to my wound, it started to rain. The sounds of the droplets hitting the ground were heard from the room, like a machine gun spewing out its ammunition in high velocity.

"Oh dear, Hirasawa-san won't be able to go home in this state." Tanigawa stated, looking out of the window with worry.

"If only someone would be kind enough to provide her with an umbrella…" Tainaka muttered, leaning back on her chair.

"Nobody would bring an umbrella in the middle of a sunny spring." Yuuki piped in.

"Unless it's someone who thinks ahead." Kathy said.

I felt all eyes landing on me. With a smile on each of their faces, the others signaled me to go after Yui.

"Whatever." I muttered as I stood up, grabbing my bag and headed out through the door.

Arriving at the school entrance, I saw Yui standing there, her back against me. I took out the umbrella from my bag, approaching the figure in a slow pace.

"Oi." I called out to her.

Yui turned around, revealing her worried face. It pained me just by taking a glance at it.

"Hiromi-kun, what are you doing here?"

I opened my umbrella. "Taking you home."

"Eh? You don't have to-"

"I need an excuse to get away from those bastards, do me a favor." I stated, walking over to her side.

"Okay, then." Yui nodded her head.

We walked together, descending the hill with the rain accompanying us.

Should I apologize now? But I don't want to say sorry without a reason whatsoever. I need to solve the mystery first. If memory serves, the problem started at the day Kotobuki got interested in guitar. If I were in Yui's shoes, I would be happy to know a friend of mine is interested in an instrument I've mastered. Wait, that method of deduction is not effective if the subject has a different personality than me. I need to find another way…

_The key is in the beginning of the problem itself_

The beginning of the problem… I played a song before Kotobuki got interested…

It hit me hard. I felt like I just got slammed by a speeding bullet train.

Jealousy.

Yui was jealous. I didn't really pay much attention to her ever since Kotobuki started learning the guitar. Good God, so it is my fault. Damn it, Suzumiya, it would be much easier if you just tell me the problem at hand.

I turned my head to my companion. Yui was looking forward without the cheerful expression that usually graced her small face.

"Yui." I called out, breaking the silence between us.

"Yes?" Yui turned her head to me.

"You've been acting weird lately." I stated, deciding to pry a bit.

Laughing nervously, she rubbed her head. "Really?"

"It's pretty obvious. What's bothering you?"

"Nothing, nothing at all." She answered quickly.

Stop lying. This isn't like you. Why don't you just tell me the truth and get this over with?

I sighed as I hung my head, feeling really, really not in the mood.

"Don't worry." I muttered.

"Eh?"

We stopped on our tracks, the rain still pouring down mercilessly.

"You still have a lot to learn, I won't abandon my duty as your teacher." I placed my hand comfortingly on top of Yui's head. "Kotobuki is just a part-time job. You are still my number one priority."

Yui stared at me, eyes wide. Under the small umbrella, in the middle of the rain, our eyes locked. Within a few seconds, she jumped to me.

I didn't see the move coming, alas, I fell down on my back, greeting the cold, wet asphalt of the streets of Nishinomiya.

"What are you-"

"Thank goodness…" Yui said, her voice muffled by my shirt.

I took a closer look at the airhead, managing to take no notice of the freezing downpour. My heart skipped a beat as I heard a sob between the rhythm of the rain.

"Are you…"

"I was worried! I'm sorry!" She shouted in between sobs.

I ran my hand through her wet hair, comforting her. "Don't be… I'm the one who should apologize. I was blinded by Kotobuki's enthusiasm, I forgot about you. I'm sorry, Yui."

The girl kept crying on my chest, making quite a show for the people around us. They decided to ignore us, thankfully.

A few seconds later, Yui stood up, all wet and soaked. She wiped a few tears still coming out from her eyes, smiling brightly. The melancholy inside her had perished, washed away by the rain. It brought a great sensation to my heart, and I could feel everything reverted back to its original state.

"Feeling better now?" I asked, taking my previously dropped umbrella.

"Yeah! Thank you, Hiromi-kun!" Yui replied cheerfully, her eyes still red.

I let out a tired sigh as I looked at our soaked clothes. "Great, an umbrella's pretty much useless now."

Yui laughed nervously as she rubbed her head. "Sorry."

"Let's get you home quick, you'll catch a cold." I said, getting ready to walk the cold streets once again.

Yui nodded her head and ran up to my side. We walked through the rain, heading towards the Hirasawa residence.

After a brief silence, I felt Yui hugging my free arm.

"The hell are you doing?" I turned my head to her in annoyance.

"We'll be warmer this way!" She cheerfully stated, smiling widely at me.

I guess you have a point. Even though not much, a contact with another person can increase your body temperature. It's a good way to prevent hypothermia.

Well, at least the situation's been resolved. God knows what will happen if I were to fail my mission in apologizing. It won't be the same, with Yui acting all depressed and gloomy. I suppose I have to thank Suzumiya for this one. Heh, how ironic, I thought I would find that weird girl to always cause trouble. I guess that's one more reason to not have doubts in someone.

I just hope I won't be stupid enough to repeat this occurrence again.

* * *

><p><strong>Updates might be a bit slower, since I just successfully converted my friend into a Minecraft addict. We got a server running, amplifying the fun of the game even more. So yeah, I might be a bit lazy to write.<strong>

**Anyways, I shall do a parody in the next chapter, as suggested by Truner. Hint: It will contain Tactical Espionage Action.**


	61. Tactical Espionage Action

**Author's note: So yeah, another late update. Truner joined my Minecraft server, I kept getting distracted. Blame him XD**

**And I intended to make this chapter a bit serious, but I just can't. Don't know why, it just doesn't fit. But I did add a bit of seriousness in the Untold Story, though not really important.**

**Ah well, at least there are some sneaking action.**

* * *

><p>I need a smoke.<p>

A pretty annoying downside of smoking is that you'll get addicted to it, reducing the efficiency of thinking and decision making if you don't get a dose of nicotine in a constant phase. As a smoker and a student, this scientific fact gives way to a slight annoyance.

The class was acting as usual. Mostly quiet, though some of the students got bored and decided to pass notes around. I tuned out the teacher for once, just to rest my tired mind. Shifting my eyes around, I saw Kotobuki passed a piece of paper to the other girls. As the girls read the note, they put up an evil smile, then passed it to another. The cycle continued on to Akiyama, Tanigawa, Yuuki, even Suzumiya and Kyon. I amazed me how the teacher didn't notice anything at all, she must be either blind or couldn't care less of her students.

Unsurprisingly, the info reached neither me nor Yui. I didn't take a second to know they were on to something.

I ignored the act and focused back on the teacher. Whatever they're planning, I'm sure I can easily handle it.

After school, we spent the time at the clubroom as usual. I gave Kotobuki her share of lesson for the day, then continued to Yui. She was getting better and better, she might overcome my skills in a few months. Of course, I was proud as hell. Remembering the first day I met her, where she didn't have any idea about the new instrument she bought, made me felt really nostalgic. It's always a nice feeling to look back to the past days which we can no longer reach. Sometimes all you want is to turn back the clock to experience it once again.

But that doesn't matter to me. The past is just a memory, and the future is always satisfactory. You won't be able to see what's in front of you if you kept looking back.

As I was done with Yui's lesson, I reclined back on the chair, closing my eyes. Within seconds, I fell into a deep sleep.

…

"Hrngh…"

I slowly opened my eyes, greeted by the orange light coming from the windows. I heard not a single sound around me, and the place was empty. I took a glance at the clock to confirm the time. It was pretty late, the others must had left without noticing me.

Standing up from the chair, I strode my legs towards the bench. My bag was there, all alone without a comrade. Just as I lifted the blue container, I saw a piece of paper fell off.

_Meet me at the rooftop._

Paper ripped from a handbook, the author wishes to remain anonymous. The handwriting is pretty neat. This fact leads to a speculation that the writer is a female, or a well-mannered man.

A bit confused and disturbed, the earlier events at class entered my mind.

"One of your traps, huh, Kotobuki?" I muttered, crushing the paper.

You would have to try harder than that to fool me. I'm not stupid enough to fall for this kind of childish trap.

I slung my bag over my shoulder, ready to go home and enjoy a nice, deep sleep.

"Man, that guy sleeps like a baby."

The voice coming from outside the door ceased my movements. It was Yuuki's voice, I could tell. I crouched down to reduce my movement sounds, pressing my ear against the door.

"Why do I have to guard this place, anyway? Damn Suzumiya and her habit of ordering someone around."

Guard? Damn, this is not as simple as I thought.

"At least the others are moving around, but me? I'm standing still like the Statue of Liberty!"

You might want to stop talking to yourself like that, Yuuki. That's like announcing your plans to the enemy with a megaphone.

Wait. 'The others'? So that means, the whole Light Music Club and the SOS Brigade are patrolling the place?

Hgnh, things are getting a bit tricky.

I need to get out of here. The whole place is crawling with lizards, and the exit is far from my current position. No other choice, I have to sneak my way there.

Is there no other way out of this room? The windows, maybe, but it's quite risky. Hanging on a ledge could increase my chance of being spotted.

"I need to take a piss…"

Perfect.

I waited for the footsteps to fade away. Once out of range, I slowly opened the door, checking my left and right.

Clear. I need to move fast and quiet. With light and easy steps, I moved away from the old school building.

Making my way to the other school building, I encountered another guard on duty. I hid myself in a corner, making sure I wasn't in sight.

Tainaka, huh? This should be easy.

She was putting up a serious face, looking to her left and right. As if a genome soldier on guard, her expression showed will of steel.

My only path is blocked. I need to find a way around her.

3-1 classroom… I might be able to use that.

She might be stupid enough to be fooled by a distraction. Let's see… what can I use?

I observed my surroundings for an object of interest. Much to my dismay, I found nothing. I decided to use an old, simple trick my father taught me.

As she turned her back, I made my way inside the classroom. There was not a single soul inside, only the orange glow going through the window accompanying me. I crouched down once again to initiate the distraction.

_**Knock knock**_

"Hmm? What was that noise?"

As she moved towards my position, I marched forwards. I saw her silhouette on the window, making her way towards the noise with haste. I made my exit as Tainaka was in a state of confusion.

I kept my eyes on her as I was standing behind cover. I could imagine a question mark briefly appearing above her head as she examined her surroundings.

"Might be my imagination."

The tomboy then turned her back, continuing her duty.

Passing the second guard, I went downstairs towards the school exit. Just before I descended another set of stairs, I could feel my phone vibrating. I looked for a safe place to answer and crouched down to avoid detection.

I took out my phone and looked at the caller ID.

Kyon? Why is he calling right now of all times?

Though a bit suspicious, I always trusted the guy. Taking the risk, I answered the call.

"Hello?"

"You're probably aware of the situation you're in as of now, so I'll make this quick. Make your way to our class. The path's clear."

"There are at least a dozen patrols scattered around this building, are you sure it's clear?"

"It is. And Yamamoto…" Kyon paused for a bit. "I'm on your side."

"Wait!"

Just before I could ask further questions, Kyon hung up. With a bit of doubt, I pocketed back my phone.

Damn, what to do… I can't trust anyone in this situation, but Kyon's tone of voice… I believe him. He could be forced to lead me to a trap set up by Suzumiya, but his voice told me otherwise. Sure that may be an act, but from the basic characteristic information I've gathered from the guy, he won't be able to pull off a fake expression, not a chance

I set my new destination to class 3-2, located not far from my position. Although been informed that the path was clear, I still checked every corner for guards, just in case my informant made an error.

Kyon's information was correct, there were no guards on sight. I stood tall in front of the classroom. Sliding the door open, I saw the man leaning on the windowsill, his figure shadowed by the sunlight infiltrating through the windows, rendering his expression unreadable.

"Took you long enough."

The man took a step forwards, the sun's rays brightened his face with its orange-colored light. Kyon's expression reflected annoyance, with his trademark frown still intact.

"Why did you call me? Aren't you in the same boat as them?" I immediately asked for information as I closed the door.

"Hold your horses. This isn't part of the plan, I'm doing this for something more personal."

"Personal?"

Kyon moved himself towards the center of the class, crossing his arms. "You've helped me before, I'm just returning a favor."

"How thoughtful." I muttered sarcastically.

"Hey, I'm just trying to help." The cynic shrugged. "So, are you willing to hear me out, or not?"

"Since I'm already here, fill me in."

Kyon walked over to the teacher's desk. Crossing his arms once again, he turned his back to face me.

"As you've probably noticed, the plan started as we were passing notes."

"Who's the mastermind?"

"The one and only, Kotobuki."

Just as I thought. That girl could get pretty clever, but this time, she miserably fails in tricking me.

"Basically, the plan is to get you and Hirasawa to meet at the rooftop. Just to make sure you don't get away, Kotobuki placed a few guards around the building."

"A plan like that would take days to construct and polish."

"Exactly. Which is why I was able to contact you. This plan is a half-cooked meat, an uncut diamond. You should be able to get out of this place easily." Kyon strode his legs towards the window side, fixing his eyes at the setting sun. "Based on the information I've gathered, the safest route would be the front gate."

"Front gate?"

"Haruhi thought ahead of you. She said that you might be looking for an exit other than the main gate, so she focused the defense on the other exits."

"Clever… almost got fooled by that."

"That's what I'm here for. Now go, make your great escape out of this building."

"While leaving Yui waiting there forever? Not a chance."

The informant turned to me, giving a serious look.

"I'll take care of her. You just take care of yourself for now."

"Can I really trust you?" I asked with suspicion.

"That's for you to decide."

Tricky. But I guess I should.

"I'll leave her to your care, then. Thanks."

"Hey, I'm just returning a favor." Kyon shrugged once again.

I turned towards the door, readying myself for an escape. Just before I stepped out, Kyon called out to me.

"Good luck, Yamamoto."

I turned my head to my side, making eye contact with my helper for the day.

"There's no luck on the battlefield."

With that, I left the classroom.

I once again entered the battlefield, now possessing great information regarding the enemy's positions. Quickly making my way to the stairs, I saw and heard nothing. Like Kyon had stated, the guards were mostly focused on the other exits.

As I took a step on the first floor, I saw yet another soldier on duty. Akiyama was by herself, nervously shifting her eyes left and right. She was patrolling the shoe lockers area, the one and only path out of this building.

I need another distraction.

The most useful information at war is the enemy's behavior. How they act, how they attack, how they defend themselves. I've been friends with Akiyama for almost three years now, I know everything about her. That knowledge is something I can use to my advantage.

I can use the shoe lockers to make some noise. Metal's a good material to make a few sounds, which would probably scare the guard away.

Alright, let's try this.

I quietly made my way to a row of lockers as the girl turned her back. As I went through the sea of metals, I loudly knocked on each locker I passed.

"Wh- who's there?" I could hear Akiyama's voice, she was in a bit of fear.

I kept quiet as I laid low. Hearing her slow footsteps drawing near, I moved myself away to another row. Just before she could register what was happening, I continued making a series of clanging sounds.

"Ritsu? I-is that you? Come on, this isn't funny!" Akiyama started to panic. She didn't move away from her position, and I could see her legs trembling.

Just a little bit more… I banged the lockers, a lot fiercer than before. The sounds initiated Akiyama to run like the wind, disappearing away from the area in a blink of an eye.

"That was… amusing."

I continued my way out with haste, expecting backup to come soon.

"!"

Someone stopped me on my tracks. Standing there, expressionless, was Nagato Yuki.

She's been standing there all along? I didn't see her as I made a distraction for Akiyama. Damn, this girl's quite sneaky.

"You're gonna stop me?" I asked the silent book lover, giving her a mean look.

Nagato shook her head no, moving away from the entrance. I gave her another look of suspicion, before taking a step forwards.

"Thanks." I muttered as I passed her.

"No need." She robotically answered.

Once again, I made my way to the school gate, quickly moving in order to avoid the backups.

What was that all about? Is she that lazy to not follow her leader's command? Nagato sure is strange, I can't even read her expression. Her true self is still a mystery even after all these years. At least now I know she's on my side. If not, I think I won't be able to get out from this place in one piece.

Just as I was a few meters away from the gate, I saw someone on the corner of my eye. Before I could hide myself, the person turned her back to face me.

**!**

"There he is!"

I reflexively changed my direction, back to the school grounds. From the voice, I could tell that the person chasing me was Suzumiya.

"Damn!"

I need a place to hide, that girl can catch up with me anytime.

I saw a building a few meters from my position, the storage room. Just as I was weighing on my options, an idea popped in my mind.

I headed towards the said building, increasing my speed. As I reached the door, I immediately made an attempt to open it.

Locked! Damn it!

Without another thought, I kicked the door in, breaking the lock. As I was inside, I blocked the entrance with a few heavy boxes I found.

Now, think fast!

A window in front of me, and a few cardboard boxes scattered around. Two options, only one will save me.

No place for Hideo, huh?

Apparently, there is.

I managed to produce an empty cardboard box, big enough for me. As I heard the banging on the door, I quickly opened the window. Done with the trap, I sat down on the wooden floor, placing the box over me.

The banging on the door got harder and harder. Within a few seconds, I could hear the boxes got knocked over. I sat still, not moving a single muscle.

Suzumiya didn't utter a word as she looked around her, I could only hear her fast breathing.

It seemed my plan had worked. I could hear her footsteps heading towards the window. A few seconds later, she turned to leave the place.

"Hmm?"

Or not.

My heartbeat was going at a fast rate as time seemed to freeze. I didn't hear anything, just a feeling of being watched.

"Just a box."

With that, Suzumiya left the room.

After waiting for a few seconds, I moved the box away, feeling the fresh air once again. Making sure there was no one around the small room, I made my way out, escaping the school safely.

I just hope Kyon will keep his promise.

* * *

><p><strong>Untold Story #10: Positive Thinking<strong>

I hate being the bearer of bad news, but I guess I have no other choice. I've made a promise to Yamamoto about taking care of Hirasawa. I don't know what the hell is going to happen to me if Haruhi found out about my backstabbing act, but as a man, I have to keep my word.

As I twisted the doorknob leading to the rooftop, my whole body was greeted by the spring breeze. Hirasawa stood there, gazing at the sky with a bit of melancholy on her face. Somehow that expression reminded me of Haruhi back in her first days of high school.

She noticed my arrival at the area. Turning her head to me, the girl gave a smile, though I could see a bit of disappointment in her eyes.

"Was it you that wrote the letter, Kyon-kun?"

"No, that letter was a prank set up by the others." I said, walking closer to her.

"A prank?" Hirasawa tilted her head in confusion.

"They wrote two letters. One for you, and the other is for Yamamoto." I explained the situation, leaning on the railings.

"Ah, I see…" The brown haired girl hung her head, clearly showing disappointment.

I stared at her for a while, feeling a bit sorry for her.

"I kind of want him to show up." Hirasawa began, raising her head with a smile. "But I guess that's not possible. He won't be fooled with a prank like this."

"You like him that much, huh?"

The guitarist turned her head to me, showing her cheerful smile. "Is it really obvious?"

"Doesn't take a genius." I shrugged, remembering her behavior around Yamamoto.

"Well, after almost three years, he doesn't seem to be interested in me." Hirasawa focused her eyes on the floor, her cheerful smile turned into one of sorrow. "Maybe it's time for me to give up…"

I don't know if I should interfere with Hirasawa's love life, but something inside me wants to help her. Maybe I just don't like seeing someone giving up like this.

"You can't give up now." I began, crossing my arms as I felt the spring breeze once again. "All of your hard work after all these years, they'll be wasted."

"But Hiromi-kun doesn't even show a hint of interest for me. I don't think he will…"

"That guy is stubborn as hell, you just need to put a little more effort into it." I looked at her and smiled, trying to cheer her up. "Trust me, there's nothing impossible in this world."

It's a bit disturbing for me to motivate someone, but I guess this is due to a certain girl that I meet almost everyday in my high school life. Yeah, she's the cause of my positive thinking right now. She keeps chasing her dreams, even though there are a lot of obstacles in her path. But with her reckless nature, she kicked them out of the way and yelled 'Bring it on!' to anything that tries to interrupt her from grasping her hopes and dreams. Seeing her like that, it shows me that there is not a single dream that is labeled 'impossible to reach'. As long as you have a strong grip on that dream, it will come true sooner or later.

Hirasawa chuckled lightly, covering her mouth. "I never thought that would come out of your mouth, Kyon-kun!"

"Neither did I."

"Well, I will take your advice, Kyon-kun. I won't give up that easily, and I will try harder from now on." Hirasawa stated, showing a new kind of confidence in her eyes.

"Good to hear. Now make your way home, it's getting late." I said, looking at the orange colored sky.

"Okay! Thank you for cheering me up, Kyon-kun!" Hirasawa tapped my shoulder before heading towards the door.

Just before she went back inside the building, she turned her head to me.

"By the way, good luck with Haru-chan!"

I frowned as she quickly moved herself behind the door and closed it. What was that supposed to mean?

Ah, it seems love is the hot topic these days. Even Haruhi is interested.

Well, I might have said that there is nothing impossible, but now, I'm starting to have doubts. Yamamoto is pretty stubborn, and I don't know of his true feelings to Hirasawa. What does he think of her?

One can only wonder…

* * *

><p><strong>Like Notch has said, there are four stages when you do a project: Inspiration, Motivation, Stress and Abandonment. Right now, I'm probably on the third stage. I just hope I won't reach the fourth one some time soon.<strong>


	62. Suspicious Minds

**Oh LOL I need to look up the meanings of phrases before writing them. I feel like I've ****committed a serious crime. Thanks for pointing that out,** **DarkHeartless12!**

**And I'm sorry if the chapters are feeling like fillers. Please bear with it, it's still a long way to go. One thing for sure, I will make a worthy conclusion for this story.**

**Productivity reaches almost zero in this state. I lost the mood to write for some reason. The ideas are popping up, but it's hard to execute it. Even choosing a single word took a long time.**

**And to make matters worse: Skyrim.**

* * *

><p>"So, is there any purpose for you to come here?"<p>

"Of course, I just wanna meet my boyfriend. Something wrong with that?"

I sighed as I pressed the palm of my hand to my face. It was just another Saturday at Nishinomiya, and just like usual, I spent the day doing the part-time job provided by Chihaya. I was minding my own business when Tainaka appeared in the kitchen without much of a word, cheerfully greeting her boyfriend as she entered the room.

"You're reducing the café's productivity rate by bugging one of the chefs." I stated, grabbing a bottle of beer from the fridge. Heh, I love this job.

"Pfft, you're just jealous. Right, Chihaya?" Tainaka turned her head to the chef.

"Actually, it would be much appreciated if you release your grip on my arm every now and then. I can't cook right for a minute." The peach haired man said, getting a bit annoyed at his girlfriend's behavior. Surely enough, Tainaka hadn't let go of Chihaya's arm since her arrival.

"You don't love me!" Tainaka let go of her boyfriend's arm, dramatically feigning a crestfallen expression.

"Untrue, those words are. Shall I prove my love to you, my lady?" Acting like a gentleman, the chef held the tomboy's hand, leaning closer to her face.

"You shall." With a blush, Tainaka smiled as her eyes locked with Chihaya.

Without much of a delay, they kissed.

"…rrrrgh." I let out a growl of disgust and annoyance, turning my head sideways to avoid the ghastly sight.

I might need to look for a new part-time job. If I witness this goddamn cheesy act everyday, I'd probably blow my brains out.

"What? Feeling that jealousy build up inside you?" Chihaya turned his head to me with a smirk along with Tainaka.

"If by 'jealousy' you mean 'annoyance', then yeah." I retorted, taking a swig from the bottle.

"Come on, those lines were great, we could make a movie out of it." The tall, skinny man stated, continuing his work.

I pity those who would want to watch it.

"By the way, customers."

"On it."

I stood up from my seat, placing the beer bottle on the counter. Heading out of the kitchen, I saw three people: Akiyama, Tanigawa and Yui.

"Morning, Hiromi-kun!" Yui greeted cheerfully, fresh as ever.

I stared at the threesome for a few seconds.

"On a date, huh? What's with the sudden visit?"

"Yeah, we're just here to take a break. The air's quite a scorcher outside." Akiyama jerked her thumb towards the glass door.

"Guess so. Then why is she here? Shouldn't it be just the two of you?" I nodded my head towards Yui, who was still smiling brightly despite the fact that she might be disturbing the two.

"Well, Hirasawa-san has a purpose of her own. She wanted to meet you, Yamamoto-san." Tanigawa spoke, showing his annoying smile.

"Whatever…" I muttered, taking out my notepad and a pen.

The threesome took their seats, ordering a few refreshing stuff. Akiyama and Yui went with strawberry parfait, while Tanigawa, keeping his image as a gentleman, ordered a cup of tea. I don't even want to know how a hot cup of tea would taste like in this stinging hot weather.

As I was about to turn to the kitchen, the glass door opened once again.

"Yui? Is that you?"

It was an unfamiliar soft voice, with a bit of an odd accent. I turned my back to see a man standing on the entrance. He was probably shorter than me, with blond hair and blue eyes. His skin was fair, and it shined like his hair. With an enthusiastic expression, the foreigner walked up to the threesome's table.

"Billy-senpai?" Yui quickly recognized the person, a look of surprise on her face.

"It IS you!" The man exclaimed, laughing happily. "You've grown!"

"It's been so long! I thought I'd never see you again!" Yui stood up, giving the man a hug.

Who is he? Might be Yui's friend from junior high. A senpai… he doesn't look like one.

What is this feeling… something inside me feels really uncomfortable. It's like that feeling when you're hearing a low frequency sound, somewhat disturbing and makes you uneasy.

And that look on his face… I see fire in his eyes, ice in his smile. I don't want to trust this guy for some unknown reason, it looks like as if he's hiding something.

"Well, it seems we should let you two have some privacy." Tanigawa stood up from his seat, followed by his girlfriend.

"Oh no, it's alright, don't let me trouble you." The blond said, stopping the two.

"I assume you two haven't met for a long time. It should be wise for us to leave you undisturbed with our presence. You must have a lot to tell, am I right?" Tanigawa asked with his undying gentlemanly manner.

"I suppose so. Well then, I'm sorry for the trouble."

Tanigawa and Akiyama moved to a new table, not far from the two. I whistled out to the gentleman to gain his attention.

As he turned his head to me, I tapped my right ear with my index finger. Tanigawa nodded understandingly, still maintaining his usual smile.

I walked over to the new customer. As I reached Yui's eyesight, she stood up, gesturing me to come over.

"Hiromi-kun, meet Billy-senpai!"

I turned my head towards 'Billy'. He looked at me with interest, before standing up and offering his hand.

"Billy Winters, pleased to meet you."

"Yamamoto Hiromi." I shook his small hand, keeping my frown intact.

"Billy-senpai was a transfer student from overseas. He went back to the states after junior high." Yui explained to me, still excited.

"Yeah, just came here for a vacation." Billy sat back down, browsing the menu. "I'll just have a nice cup of coffee."

"In a minute."

I walked back to the kitchen, notepad in hand. As I was inside, the lovely duo looked at me questioningly.

"What was the commotion all about?" Tainaka asked, jerking her thumb towards the door.

"A reunion. Yui's senpai during her junior high years." I stated, walking over to the coffee maker. I poured the hot coffee into a cup, careful not to burn myself.

"Really?" Tainaka peeked out through the small window, curiosity clearly seen. "Huh, seems like a decent fellow."

That's what most people see. I don't know if I can trust my instincts this time, but I do not like that man. He's obviously hiding something behind that friendly manner of his. A devil in disguise. A wolf in sheep's clothing.

"Hiromi."

What are his intentions? Surely it's not a coincidence for him to just pop up in this small café in the middle of Nishinomiya. He must be planning something.

"Oi…"

Damn it! There are a lot of speculations in my mind, and I don't like them all, not a single bit.

"Hiromi!"

"What!" I angrily turned my head towards Chihaya, glaring at him.

"I'm sure our customer would like a 'regular' cup of coffee." He said, pointing at the cup.

I turned my attention towards the task I was doing. Surprise struck me as I saw the coffee was overflowing, making the counter into a mess of caffeine and sugar.

"Crap!" I cancelled the coffee-pouring, grabbing a nearby cloth.

Chihaya sighed tiredly as he shook his head. "Allowing alcohol during work hours really is a bad idea."

"No way, it's not the alcohol." I said, cleaning up the mess I had made. "I only took a swig or two."

"Got any other good reason for that, then?"

"That guy… I'm suspecting he's up to something." I said in a low voice.

"Really now…" The chef took a peek beside his girlfriend. After a few seconds of observing, he turned his head back to me. "I don't see anything wrong with him."

"Idiot! That's what you always see in criminal masterminds! They don't reveal their true face, not even in the brink of Armageddon. I've seen many faces covered with masks, and that guy is no exception!"

"Whoa, whoa, hold on. Just what the hell is wrong with you? A minute ago you're all cool, calm and collected. Now you're acting like you're facing a dragon with a slingshot!"

"I… don't know." I muttered, hanging my head. "I need a smoke."

"Granted. Go cool your head down." Chihaya jerked his thumb towards the back door, his eyes reflected worry.

"Thanks."

I went outside, feeling the scorching sun striking me from above. People were happily walking around the crowded place, each with a partner of their own. I strode my legs towards the park, trying to search for a quiet place.

I found a bench under a tree, providing enough shade from the sun. I sat down and pulled out a cigarette, lighting it quickly.

Letting out a deadly smoke from my mouth, I reclined back on the bench, closing my eyes.

What is wrong with me? Panicking all of a sudden… I don't think I've ever been like this before. No use thinking with a worried mind. I need to get a good grip of my senses first.

"I don't think it's a good idea to sleep with a lit cigarette in your hand."

I opened my eyes to see Akiyama standing in front of me. Tanigawa was behind her, keeping his smiling face in one piece.

"How was it?" I asked, putting out my smoke.

"I found nothing suspicious about him." Tanigawa began, taking a seat after his girlfriend. "He's just a jolly good fellow. The type that lives his life with high spirits, a great image of youth." Turning his head to me, Tanigawa showed a bit of confusion. "I heard about the earlier events from Chihaya-san. What makes you think he cannot be trusted?"

"I don't like the look on his face. I might be wrong, but my gut feeling told me otherwise."

"You're just paranoid, Yamamoto-kun." Akiyama piped in.

"I know not what his true intentions are, but if you are really curious, they're planning to meet up in the morrow." Tanigawa said.

"Perfect. Give me the details."

"9 AM sharp, location will be here, in this exact spot." The gentleman stated, pointing his index finger downwards.

"Thanks." I stood up from my seat. "Sorry for interrupting your date."

Tanigawa smiled and waved his hand. "Anything for a friend. Good luck, Yamamoto-san."

"See you later, Yamamoto-kun!" Akiyama exclaimed as I walked towards my home.

Tomorrow, huh? Looks like I'm gonna get a little busy.

Sunday, I woke up with some kind of a determined feeling inside of me. Somehow I really wanted to reveal the true face behind Billy Winter's mask.

But what is wrong with me? I've never been this… obsessed before. I've busted many criminals in my life. Every time I did that, I've never let my feelings take control. It's like business. This time, I seem to be thinking that this guy is someone I really hate, like he had done something personal to me.

I shook away the thought. It's not good for personal feelings to be involved in missions, my dad once told me.

After a shower and a smoke, I headed out to the park, where my operation would start.

A sunny spring Sunday is a perfect day to bring your family outside. The weather is perfectly balanced, sights are great, and the blooming flowers to your left and right helps reduce stress built up from the weekdays. But this day isn't sunshine and rainbows for me. This is a day I will reveal a dark truth behind a plastic mask. Decipher a hidden meaning caged beneath a maze of words.

Ready yourself, Billy Winters.

As I reached the quite crowded park, I went to a spot where I could see the whole place without being spotted. It was then someone tapped my shoulder from behind.

"Good morning, Yamamoto-san. A good day to spy on someone, don't you think?"

I turned my head towards the voice. Tanigawa stood there with his usual smile still present.

"What the hell are you doing here?" I asked.

"Well, I have nothing better to do. You should know that feeling of boredom if you're alone in quite a huge house. So I thought I'd join you." He innocently explained.

"The chance to get spotted will increase!" I exclaimed, getting annoyed at his presence.

"Don't worry, I assure you, I won't be much of a nuisance."

I frowned at his reasoning, not really in a mood for an argument.

"Do whatever you want." I stated, placing my focus back towards the park.

After a few minutes of waiting, I spotted my target.

Billy appeared with his casual clothing. He took a glance at his watch, then stood unmoving under a tree.

"There he is. I wonder if Hirasawa-san would make it." Tanigawa said, observing the target along with me.

"Speak of the devil."

I saw Yui running towards her senpai. She was bowing in apology for her lateness, which Billy waved away.

"They're on the move. Let's go."

We moved out of our hiding spot, blending into the crowd to avoid detection. Slowly but surely, we reduced the distance to our target.

They were heading towards the shopping district, where various stores were scattered randomly to our left and right. Yui took her time in explaining a few things about the place, which the senior enjoyed.

"Are you sure he's hiding something? He looks like he's enjoying his time." Tanigawa asked as we moved towards a cover.

"I'm sure of it." I stated, keeping a close eye on the two.

"I may have to disagree with you on this one. Please take another look, Yamamoto-san, that expression is genuine. He is happy, spending his time with an old kohai."

"Not convinced. He must be trained in faking expressions."

Tanigawa sighed in defeat, shaking his head. "Very well, let us spy on him a little bit longer."

Continuing our mission, we followed the duo towards a café. They were sitting by the window side, enabling us to eavesdrop on their conversation. Hiding behind the brick walls, I focused my hearing to the sounds inside.

"Sure feels great to get back here." A soft voice said, followed with a clinking glass.

"How long are you going to be here?" Yui asked her senpai, a hint of curiosity in her tone of voice.

"I'll fly back to the states tomorrow." Billy answered, sounding a bit sad.

"Is that so? That's too bad. I hope you have a nice flight!" Yui cheerfully said.

"Hmm…" Tanigawa hummed to himself.

"What?" I turned my head to him. The man was pinching his chin as he looked up.

"You didn't notice?" The gentleman turned his head to me, showing a questioning look.

"No. What?"

"Ah, nevermind." Tanigawa smiled widely, as if discovering something valuable. "Our work here is done, we should leave."

"I'm still not convinced. You leave whenever you want, I'll be monitoring this guy."

"I suppose I should keep you company. But I assure you, the man is clean."

Whatever. I'm not going to take my eyes off him anytime soon. I'll make sure Yui's safe and sound before I can relax.

Though I showed distrust towards my friend, the target showed zero hostility throughout the operation. Bit by bit, the suspicion on my mind were reduced as time went by. But for some reason, it didn't disappear. It didn't reach the point where I could just let it go. It was like a regenerating seed of doubt that could not die.

The sun began to set, once again spreading its orange glow around the town. Tanigawa and I were still following the two, keeping a close eye on facial expressions and spontaneous reactions. It was around 5 when they decided to take a shortcut through a dark alleyway.

"Ready yourself, Yamamoto-san. That place is crawling with gang members." Tanigawa stated, tapping me on the shoulder.

"What? Damn it, why didn't you tell me that earlier?" I turned my head towards my companion in disbelief.

"This is a good chance to prove your theory wrong. It is risky, but I'm sure we can handle it."

I hesitated for a moment, but decided to go along with his plan. A man in fear should show his true nature.

"Fine."

We continued through the dark alley, the shadows acting as our cover. There were no lights, but the dusk skies provided enough luminance for us to see. After a few minutes of walking, the two were stopped by a person.

"Well, well, what do we have here…"

He was, undoubtedly, a scum. A man with no respect and humanity.

Billy went to a bit of panic as he realized the situation he was in. He placed himself in front of Yui, protecting her from harm.

That was an act of reflex… maybe this guy really is clean.

"Happily walking this way, bringing a cute girl with you, don't you think that's a bit reckless, boy?" The scum walked closer towards Billy, cracking his fists. "Don't you know this place is Skullcracker's territory? You won't get out of here alive!" he said, followed with a sinister laugh. The other gang members showed up behind him, each with an evil look on their faces.

"We're just passing by. We know not of your existence, let us go." Billy tried to reason with a determined look on his face.

"Observe, Yamamoto-san." Tanigawa whispered to me.

The leader was not amused. He glared at the blond, fueled with rage. Just as I predicted, he launched his fist towards Billy's face. Inexperienced in combat, the skinny man fell down as the fist connected with his jaw.

"Senpai!" Yui crouched down to inspect her friend for injuries.

"Oho, aren't you a sweet, caring girlfriend." Rubbing his fist, the gang leader spoke in an annoying tone. "Don't worry, we'll take good care of you, little girl."

"Stop."

Billy's voice caught the others by surprise. He turned his head towards the group of scum in an angered state.

"No one will hurt her. I'll protect her with my life!"

I widened my eyes after he shouted those words. He showed burning determination in his eyes. A will so strong, it could paralyze an opponent with just a glare.

"Convinced, now?" Tanigawa said to me, showing his smiling face.

"…yeah. Let's go."

We stood up, walking towards the scene.

"H-hah! You're just bluffing, kid! Come on, show me that anger!"

"Here's that anger, you son of a bitch."

The leader turned to me as I ran towards him in high speed. I jumped and raised my leg, initiating a flying kick. I could see a look of surprise on his face before my shoes connected with his nose. The scum flew a few meters away, unconscious with a broken nose.

"Too flashy for an entrance, don't you think?" Tanigawa appeared behind me, observing his surroundings.

"Necessary. Adds an element of surprise." I stated, standing back-to-back with my companion.

The other members surrounded us with a bit of fear in their faces. They started moving forwards slowly, ready to attack.

"Heads up." Tanigawa cued as the men began their attack.

I stopped one of the henchmen's attempt to give me a straight by grabbing his arm and moving to his side. With an elbow to the face, and a kick to the stomach, he went down. Another scum grabbed me from behind. I dropped down to let go of his grip. As he was staggering, I gave him a backhand, followed with a roundhouse kick.

Tanigawa was busy taking out some of the goons. He was keeping his smile as he did so. Damn sadistic maniac.

After a few minutes, the place was clear, save one man who was backed against the wall. He started trembling as we both approached him, the fear in his eyes were certain, we were like a figure of terror to him.

Without us doing anything, he fainted.

"That was amusing." Tanigawa chuckled lightly at the sight before him.

"Fear. An absolute way to drive a person insane. Effective."

We turned our attention towards the two victims. Billy was staring at us in disbelief, while Yui looked really relieved.

"Both of you… what are you doing here?" the injured man asked, confusion on his face.

"Coincidence. You alright?" I walked over to him, Tanigawa followed suit.

"Yeah, thanks for the help. You saved our lives." Billy stood up, rubbing his jaw to ease the pain.

"Thank you, Hiromi-kun!" Yui jumped to me, giving me a hug whilst giggling happily.

I remained unmoving. I didn't know what to do. All I could feel was a wave of relief flowing throughout my body. Reflexively, I placed a hand on top of her head.

"Let's just get you home safely." I said.

"Well, you three go on ahead. I'll take care of this." Tanigawa stated, jerking his thumb towards the sea of unconscious gang members.

"Thanks. I'll see you back home." I waved my hand, exiting the alley and into the streets.

We walked towards the Hirasawa residence with the sunset accompanying us. Yui was walking ahead of us, initiating Billy to spark a conversation.

"It's kinda hard to believe your appearance was a coincidence. Care to explain?"

"I was following you." I began, crossing my arms. "Thought you were hiding something behind that cheerful attitude of yours. I was wrong. Sorry about that."

Billy waved his hand away. "No worries. I do need to ask you an important question, though."

"And that is?"

"Do you like Yui?"

I turned my head towards the shorter man with a frown. He was smiling at me for some reason.

"What kind of question is that?"

"Ah, nevermind. It's just that I came here just for her. I've been in love with her for so long now, hoping she would love me back in this present day." Billy began, turning his head towards his old kohai. "But as I saw the spark in her eyes when she looked at you, I knew I was fighting a losing battle."

I kept quiet, not knowing how to respond.

"So however you feel about her, I know for sure that she loves you, Yamamoto. Please take good care of her."

"I couldn't care less."

The blond laughed a bit. "Just like Yui said, you really are stubborn." Sighing tiredly, Billy shook his head. "Well, I'm pretty sure you'll find your true feelings soon. Whenever that is, make sure you're well-prepared."

I disregarded Billy's words and continued on walking. After safely reaching the Hirasawa residence, we parted ways. The foreigner said that he wouldn't be coming back to Japan for quite some time, and today was his last day in the land of the rising sun.

I walked back towards my home with a bit of relief. It seemed Akiyama was right, I was just being paranoid.

The real mystery is why I acted out of character just like that.

* * *

><p><strong>Untold Story #11: The Man with the Truth<strong>

Taking care of the previous scene we caused was quite a hassle. Thankfully, Father had a connection from the police. I took my leave from the site and proceeded on my way home.

As was inside the safety of my house, I saw Yamamoto-san on his backyard, smoking while gazing at the starry skies.

I made my way outside, greeting the night spring breeze as I opened the door. Climbing the fence to the Yamamoto residence, I was greeted by the owner.

"Thanks for today." He said, puffing on his smoke.

"You are welcome, Yamamoto-san." I walked over to him, leaning against the tree. "I have something to confess, though. I wasn't bored this morning, I intentionally followed you to prove you wrong."

"So you knew he was clean all along?"

"Correct. You were just, like Mio-san said, paranoid."

Yamamoto-san shook his head, rubbing his temples.

"Why did I panic like that, anyway? It's not like me to get so… disoriented."

I chuckled as I closed my eyes, hanging my head down.

"Who knows?"

Truthfully, I know the answer. You're jealous, Yamamoto-san. Your heart has never felt this feeling before, giving it a great shock to your mind. You feel irked when you saw another man being friendly with Hirasawa-san. Something that is previously a minor annoyance evolved into hatred. And that hatred towards the man, is the reason you're panicking. The jealousy itself started for a reason. It doesn't appear suddenly into your heart. They're triggered by a feeling you have yet to realize, a feeling that is hidden within your steel heart, a feeling that everyone around you tries to bring upon you.

It's your love towards Hirasawa-san.

You may not realize it due to your persistent personality, but that feeling is there, like a shed of light in a cave surrounded by darkness. We, as your friend, are helping you reach out to that light.

Of course, I didn't say a single word to him. He would just wave it away, denying the truth like he always does.

It may take some time, but I'm sure he will realize it.

* * *

><p><strong>Fus Ro Dah!<strong>


	63. PreParade

**Author's note: Dear God, this is a VERY late update. I really need to get a grip...**

**...but Skyrim...**

**Anyways, it saddens me to see those two recent reviews I've just received. Not because they hate me and/or my story, but the fact that these kind of reviews are still submitted.**

**Y'know what? I'm gonna go all-out here, so if you don't wanna hear the rambling of a lonely and depressed 16 year-old, you know what to do. But this long-ass ranting is probably good as a reminder for you readers out there.**

**I see no point in submitting a review such as telling that you hate OCs. It's like going to a gaming convention and yelling 'Oh my God, another gaming convention, I hate video games!' with a megaphone. Having and sharing an opinion is okay, but there are times and places for that. If you share an opinion like this, you will be seen as a rude person by some people. After a bit of brain-reeling, all I can assume is the reviewer is trying to demotivate me, leading to an abandonment of this story. Well, that could work to some people, but are you really THAT heartless?**

**Tell you the truth, I hate yuri (Well, in a romance-y way, I hate it. But in 'another' way, I love it. If you know what I mean). But I don't go into people's stories telling them I hate it.**

**I learned a thing from a random NPC in Skyrim that's quite relevant here. His line goes a bit like this:**

**'Ain't no use worrying about things you can't change.'**

**That guy's words kept ringing in my head. He's right. You might hate OC fics, and you want it to end, you don't want to see another one of it in the K-ON page. But you can't! You don't control the flow of this fandom, you're nobody! A dust in the wind! A leaf on a tree! It's pointless, trying to stop the OC stories from advancing. It's plain impossible. You might as well forget it and live on with your life!**

**As a bonus, another relevant thing I've learned from ANOTHER random NPC in Skyrim.**

**'Hating on the Nords is okay, but dedicating your life to killing them is just stupid.'**

**This is relevant to the first quote. Obsessively hating on something is pointless, because you can't change it. I remember the first time I saw Devil May Cry's reboot trailer, I was pretty much angered to the max. But as time goes by, and after I heard that quote, I realized it's all pointless. The rage, the anger, they won't change anything. The new Dante's still an emo kid, his clothes still sucks. It's utterly time-wasting and pointless.**

**All of this, it all goes back to the basic of it all. The reason for a lot of deaths, the reason of the cannons being fired, the reason humans can't live as one, as brothers, as sisters.**

**Differences of opinion.**

**A hero to one, a villain to another. An elixir to a group, poison to another. An endless cycle of hatred between each other, avoiding us from gaining peace. Even after thousands of years, it still exists. It's a scary thing, really.**

**Ergh, went full grandpa right there. Sorry, just had to let it out. Ranting is fun, especially when you have someone willing to listen to it.**

**So yeah, readers, please refrain from posting reviews such as those in other stories. For some authors, it's really a heartbreaking sight. Unless, if you want to try stopping that story from advancing, do that, but remember what I said, Spiderman might be a hero to NYC, but he's a bad guy in Green Goblin's eyes.**

* * *

><p>Summer had just started, spreading its gentle warmth around town. The people to our left and right were jovially walking with their families, enjoying the well-balanced temperature Mother Nature provided. The cicadas were singing, burning spirit of youth could be felt. Like never before, the place was full of happiness greater than magic.<p>

Actually, no.

It was a goddamn scorcher in Nishinomiya. The bright sun above us shone in full force, as if it was in a state of anger. I was walking towards a certain place with my neighbor, fighting the thirst in my throat. Just like usual, Tanigawa kept his smile as he calmly walked through the town, invulnerable to the stinging heat from above.

"It is summer yet again. Don't you think time flies a little bit too fast, Yamamoto-san?"

I reluctantly turned my head towards my companion. I wasn't in the mood to talk, but it would be rather rude to ignore him.

"Agreed." I answered shortly.

Tanigawa chuckled a bit before continuing. "I can easily recall last year's summer vacation. It was quite eventful."

I concur. That was the time where Nakano confessed her love towards Yuuki. An event which would be permanently engraved to the wall of high school memories. One of my best friends got himself a girlfriend. It wasn't something really valuable to me, but for Yuuki, it might be the most memorable episode in his lifetime.

And that one night where Yui got drunk.

Damn it, I really don't want to recall that event. Come to think of it, that picture is still somewhere in the virtual world of the club's phones. I just hope they don't plan to do anything with it.

"And yet, here we are, making our way towards another trip."

Ah, yeah, Suzumiya suggested for the SOS Brigade and the Light Music Club to go on a trip together some time ago. Tainaka agreed to do so, and Kotobuki, like usual, provided the place for us to stay. Since there were a lot of people participating in this trip, we settled on a train as a means of transportation.

"Well, it seems we're a tad late."

From far away, there were two familiar figures seen beneath the crowd. Standing tall, arms crossed, expression excited, was Suzumiya. Staying stationary beside her leader, Nagato spotted us with her expressionless eyes.

"You guys are early." Suzumiya said to us as we stood in front of her.

If a lady arrived at the promised location before I do, it's still late for me, regardless of the time. It should be an unspoken rule for a man to not keep a lady waiting.

"Have the others not arrived yet?" Tanigawa asked, looking around.

"No, it's just us." Suzumiya replied.

"It's still 9.30." I stated, looking at the public clock.

We waited for the others, standing in front of the crowded station. Pedestrians passed us by, each with their own set of tasks. Some was alone, few with a partner. Just as I was minding my own business, Suzumiya turned towards me and Tanigawa.

"Yamamoto, Tanigawa-kun, what do you guys think about Kyon?"

I raised an eyebrow at the weird question. Tanigawa's face turned into one of interest.

"Well, I'd say he has quite the character." Tanigawa began, crossing his arms as he tried to remember a few key characteristic points the cynic had.

"Good man. Thinks rationally, logically. Though not best in school subjects, he holds intelligence above an average senior high school student." I stated. "What caught my curiosity is why you even bother to ask. You're his leader, shouldn't you know better than us?"

"Do you always need a reason?" Suzumiya furrowed her eyebrows in annoyance.

"Giving out information just like that could be really threatening on the battlefield." I replied.

"Now, now, I suppose the reason is not something Suzumiya-san wanted us to know." Tanigawa stopped us before going to a verbal war. "And it should be reasonable for a leader to know her member from a different perspective, don't you think?"

I shifted my eyes towards Tanigawa. "Good point." I muttered.

"Regarding Kyon, what you said is all true, but you missed one important point." The gentleman said, raising his head with his smile still intact.

"Which is?" Suzumiya was curious.

"Caring."

Suzumiya and I tilted our heads simultaneously, staring at Tanigawa as if he was an alien.

"Caring?"

"As you both may have noticed, he wore a frown almost every day. That frown of his, no matter how often he used it, it is not a true reflection of his feelings." Tanigawa began his speech. "I'm not quite sure why, but he hides his true feelings deep inside of him. It may take a moment for you to realize, but I assure you, he has a noble heart."

"Hmm…" Suzumiya hummed to herself.

I've never seen Kyon giving a rat's ass about anything. All the things he's done were mostly a direct command from his leader. But then again, I don't see him often. Suzumiya should be really familiar with Kyon's personality, but like me, she had no idea what Tanigawa meant, due to her unawareness of people's attitude around her.

"Well, I suppose I shouldn't tell you this, but do you remember White Day, Suzumiya-san?" Tanigawa turned his head to the yellow-ribbons, a hint of curiosity on his face.

"Yeah, he gave me cookies. What about it?"

"He didn't have any cooking ability that time. Desperate, he turned to Yamamoto-san for help."

Actually, I was the one who offered.

"It's unfortunate that you couldn't see the look on his face as he learned a few things from Yamamoto-san. His face might show great annoyance, but his eyes reflected an expression of worry."

"Worry?" I asked.

"Indeed. He was worried. What if my cookies aren't good enough as an expression of returning a favor? What if she doesn't appreciate the work I've done? All of that questions produced complete worry, and it circled endlessly around his head that day."

"I didn't notice that." I stated, remembering that certain day.

"Ah, you are quite busy teaching him. That distracted you from reading his expressions effectively."

Hmm, good point.

"What I conclude from that accumulated amount of worry he had, is that he really thinks of his actions when it comes to you, Suzumiya-san. Of course, he might also do that for others, but so far, I have insufficient proof for that."

I turned my head towards Suzumiya. Her eyes were focused on the floor, face expressing realization and doubt. After a few seconds, she jolted her head away. I caught a glance of a tint of pink on her cheeks as she did so.

"D-don't be ridiculous! He's not like that!"

Tanigawa chuckled wholeheartedly. "Well, that was merely my speculation. It is up to you to believe it or not, but I think that was quite accurate, if I do say so myself."

Logically, his assumptions are correct. Unfortunately, sometimes logic doesn't work on figuring out one's personality. The one and only sure way to get a good grasp of someone's characteristics is through experience. Hanging out with the subject often, observe his actions in various situations, et cetera.

"Damn it, where are the others!" Suzumiya said in annoyance, changing the subject.

As if Suzumiya's voice were a command, we saw the rest of the club from far away. Akiyama was her usual self, keeping an image of a fine lady with Kotobuki beside her. Tainaka's movement was of excitement, accompanied by Kathy. Still living and still loving, Yuuki held Nakano's hand as they approached us, happiness clearly on their faces. The boys from the SOS Brigade were as usual, with Kyon's frown and Koizumi's smile intact. Last but not least, Yui ran up to us with overwhelming enthusiasm. She was wearing her casual summer outfit, carrying her trusty guitar on her back. It was a great sight. Out of all the youths here, I'd probably say that Yui is the perfect image of one. High spirited, living her live in a carefree manner, yet still maintaining social and educational status.

Damn it, I'm talking like an old man. I wonder if that's a bad thing…

"You guys are late!" Suzumiya 'greeted' the others.

"What? It's still 9.45!" Yuuki protested.

"Doesn't matter! Kyon, you're responsible for the penalty!"

"Excuse me?" Kyon said in disbelief.

"Come on, we don't have all day! We have to arrange the seating!" Suzumiya then stormed off towards a café nearby, leaving us dazed and confused.

Reluctantly, we followed her lead. Kyon looked as if the world was ending for him. Well, if I were to pay for all of these guys' drinks, I would probably tie myself a hangman's noose.

"My deepest apologies. It seems Suzumiya-san's bad mood is due to my earlier conversation with her. I will take the responsibility, don't worry." Tanigawa said to Kyon, placing his hand on the cynic's shoulder.

"Thanks. What did you two talked about?" Kyon asked, a bit curious.

"Well, some tales are best left untold, don't you think?"

Kyon gave an irritated look at Tanigawa. Deciding to let it go, he continued his focus on the streets.

We arrived at the café after a minute walk. It was a bit crowded, but we found an empty table enough for all of us. After the drinks arrived, Suzumiya cleared her throat.

"First of all, I want to thank Mugi for providing the place for us to stay. Thank you, Mugi!"

I believe we're all thankful. You don't have to announce it out loud.

Kotobuki rubbed the back of her head, feeling flattered.

"Well then, let's get straight into business." Once again, Suzumiya cleared her throat, excitement clearly on her face. "We usually rely on drawing lots to decide something in the SOS Brigade. But for this event only, I thought relying on luck would be quite cruel. So I've arranged the seating for all of you!"

I do not like where this is going.

"Here it is!"

Suzumiya took out some kind of folded paper from her bag. After unfolding it, she slammed it to the table.

We leaned closer to see the paper more clearly. It was a bit of a messy drawing, but readable.

"Damn it."

Like I had expected, I was seated beside Yui. In front of me were Suzumiya and Kyon. I didn't even bother to look at the other seats.

"How's that?" Suzumiya asked proudly.

"Awesome! I'll spend the entire trip with Azusa beside me. Thanks, Suzumiya!" Yuuki exclaimed, giving Suzumiya a thumbs-up.

"Is there a reason why I'm sitting beside you?" Kyon asked his leader in annoyance.

"Because you have the lowest rank in the brigade! I'll be keeping an eye on you so you won't misbehave during the trip!"

Kyon sighed tiredly, initiating his first facepalm for the day.

"Well then, I think we're all ready for the trip. Let's make this summer vacation the best of all!" Suzumiya exclaimed, gaining a few unwanted attention from other customers around us.

"Alright!" The others cheered, thrusting their fists upwards.

We barged out of the café after Kyon paid the bills. If this were a gag manga, I would probably see him drowning in his own tears.

Getting on the train was quite a hassle with the crowded station. Nevertheless, we made it safely without losing our personal belongings. After comfortably seated, I reclined back on the chair and enjoyed the air conditioning provided by the train. A good 10 minutes of waiting, and the vehicle was off, following its destined route made of metals.

"This summer will be fun. I'm sure of it!" Yui said to me. She was by the window side, gaining all the view the trip had to offer.

"What makes you so sure?" I asked.

"Because the SOS Brigade is with us. The more the merrier, right?"

"Guess so."

"But this will be the last, huh?"

I turned my head to my left. Yui hung her head, a sad smile on her face.

"There are a lot of things ahead of us to worry about. Tests, university, the club's fate and our… separation." I began, crossing my arms. "But all of those, they have the right time to worry about. Now, during the summer vacation, is not the right time. Remember our conversation during the summer vacation last year?"

Yui raised both of her eyebrows, trying to recall the events a year ago.

"I remember. What matters is the present, right?"

"Exactly. Don't worry about what lies ahead of you. They will happen sooner or later, might as well not think of it. Especially during this time, where students are given a chance to take a break, rest their minds. Summer really isn't a good time to worry about stuff."

"That's right, Yui-chan! We're going to have fun, no need to worry about anything!" Suzumiya added, cheering the airhead up.

Yui's eyes sparkled, her usual cheerful self was back.

"Right! This summer will be fun!"

The conversation ended thus. It felt good to get Yui back on track. For some reason, it was quite a heartbreaking sight to see someone who was usually cheerful to turn melancholic. I, for one, did not like to see that.

We killed time by playing a few rounds of Poker. Without bets, of course, that would be illegal. After getting on a winning streak, Suzumiya decided to end the game. We were probably halfway to our destination by then. The sun was starting to get hot, making me felt really thankful of the air conditioning.

"Hm?"

I turned my head towards Kyon's 'hm'. The sight that lay before me was quite amusing.

Suzumiya was resting her head on Kyon's shoulder, her eyes closed shut. Her face was of an innocent child, showing the amount of peace in her respite.

The cynic's expression, on the other hand, was the polar opposite. He was in a bit of panic, and I could see that he was getting uncomfortable.

I heard a giggle escaping Yui's lips. She waved her hand to let the others know of the sight. Of course, Kyon was not amused. The girls let out a quiet 'aww' as they saw the two. To make matters worse, Kotobuki pulled out a camera from her bag, taking a few pictures for God knows what.

"Alright, stop that. This is getting stupid." Kyon said in a low voice.

"Why? You both look good together!" Tainaka replied, taking a picture with her cell phone.

"We're not!"

Apparently, Kyon's last statement woke the girl up. With reflex, the others jumped back to their seats. Suzumiya slowly opened her eyes, still a bit disorientated. With her eyelids still half-closed, she turned her head to Kyon.

"Uh… had a good sleep?" Kyon asked, his face still showing the uncomfortable look.

"…no"

The yellow-ribboned girl then proceeded to wrap her arms around Kyon's. I was a bit taken aback at that action, but the real person in a pinch was Kyon. Oblivious of her acts, Suzumiya continued her rest.

"Aww…" Kotobuki squealed from afar.

"Haruhi, what are you-"

"Now, now, you don't want to wake her up, don't you?" Koizumi appeared out of nowhere.

"I couldn't care less!"

"She could be really tired for all we know. Suzumiya-san was the first to arrive at the promised location, and all the commitment she put on organizing this event is enormous. Are you really that heartless to disturb her of her respite?" Tanigawa appeared to assist his 'brother'.

"…Damn it." Kyon feebly muttered.

Alas, he tried to ignore the uncomfortable feeling all the way during the trip. Of course, it was not easy to disregard the giggles and squeals coming from the girls.

We arrived at our destination after another half hour of small talks and games. Suzumiya was still sleeping as the train stopped, which indicated her level of fatigue.

What Tanigawa has said must've been true, she really did put her all in this trip. Yet another thing I admire from this oddball, her dedication to things.

"Oi, Haruhi, get up." Kyon poked Suzumiya on the cheek.

"Nnngh…"

Suzumiya slowly opened her eyes. Still in a daze, her sight landed on Kyon's face. They were only apart by a few centimeters. As she realized what was happening, she immediately backed away.

"Kyon! What are you- why am I-"

The great brigade leader's reaction was priceless. She was fiercely blushing, I might even saw her ears turning red. The others managed to hold back their laughs, though Yuuki and Tainaka failed miserably.

"Did you take your chance while I was sleeping?" Suzumiya angrily pointed an accusing finger at the cynic, still blushing.

"Like hell I did! You're the one who grabbed my arm all of a sudden!" Kyon butted back.

"I don't believe you!"

"Alright, alright, let's just get going before we miss our stop." Kathy stopped the verbal war, though barely holding back her laugh.

The two stopped their bickering, each with a blush on their faces. We left the station with the sun shining brightly above us. Those unfortunate enough to not bring water could easily get heat stroke in this temperature. Thankfully, we knew better than that. Suzumiya advised us to bring a bottle of water in each of our persons, so heat stroke was out of the question.

"Oh God, that was hilarious."

I turned my head to see Kathy snickering as she focused her eyes on the two in front of us. Said two were, of course, the ones who caused the previous scene. They were quite far from us, disabling them from hearing our conversation.

"I certainly agree. I've never seen Suzumiya-san so bewildered before." Koizumi nodded his head.

"Aren't they cute, though?" Kotobuki piped in.

"Yeah, they look pretty good together!" Yui agreed.

The club rambled on how great would it be for them to get together. Me, I don't think I'm able to think of a goddamn thing in this heat. Instead of joining the conversation, I decided to just place my focus on the streets.

We arrived at the villa after a few minutes of walking. Much to my surprise, it was a lot bigger than before. One can only wonder how much fortune Kotobuki has.

"I suppose it is safe to say that I'm rather surprised. I thought the villa last year was the biggest place I've ever stayed in." Tanigawa said, looking towards the enormous building that stood in front of him.

"Just how loaded is she?" Kyon asked me, his face showed amazement.

"You don't wanna know." I stated, making my way inside after the girls.

The interior was quite a sight. It was just like a standard Joe the plumber's house, only much, much bigger. Nothing fancy like a mansion, or a shiny, sparkly princess house. Just a good old Japanese house with extended space. As we entered the room, we saw a glass door leading to the balcony. It provided a clear sight of the sea, perfect spot for smoking. The floors were hardwood, the walls painted white. Some paintings hung to our left and right, few happened to be Kotobuki in her younger days.

I took a stroll around the place to get my bearings. First floor had all the things to survive in the house. Kitchen, dining room, a few bathrooms, living room. Second floor was mostly bedrooms. I counted about five with two double beds on each.

This is the kind of place I want to live in. Classic, yet spacious. If I had the riches, I would probably go for a house like this. Living alone in the countryside with no noises to disturb me, hah, what a dream.

"Son of a biscuit, a grand piano!"

Oh yeah, there's a grand piano near the door to the balcony. Yep, Kotobuki's pretty damn rich alright.

I walked over towards Yuuki's voice. He was staring in amazement at the machine in front of him. I could tell the piano was expensive just by a glance. It was clearly taken care of, judging by the flawless black finish. Moreover, it was shiny and sparkly like a new car in a showroom.

"Sometimes I wonder if it's alright to spend money on a luxury item such as this." Yuuki muttered.

"If you have the gold, why not? Besides, it's not really a waste. You've seen her skills." I said.

"Good point."

Rapid footsteps averted our attention. As we turned our heads towards the noise, the girls barged in, each with their swimsuits on.

"Let's have some fun!" Suzumiya exclaimed, followed by a few cheers from the other girls.

"I'm not going." I stated, walking over to the couch near the piano.

"What? You're no fun, Hiromi-kun!" Yui pouted.

"Whatever. Summer and I don't get along well, I need a nap." I lied down at the comfy leather couch, feeling the exhaustion beginning to catch up.

"Boo!"

"It's alright, Yui-chan. Maybe we'll just dump him on the ocean while he's sleeping." Suzumiya stated.

I dare you. I goddamn double dare you.

"Alright, I'll go get my trunks. Where are the other boys?" Yuuki asked.

"They should be up at the room, we'll be waiting at the beach, Yuuki-senpai!" Nakano said, followed by a series of footsteps heading outside.

"Well then, have a good sleep, Hiromi. Dream a little dream of Hirasawa."

Like hell I will.

With Yuuki's absence, I could finally get some peace and quiet. I closed my eyes as I heard the seagulls and the playful shouts of the girls from afar.

…

Hmm?

A melody?

It's coming from the piano. Someone's playing it. Somehow just hearing it makes me feel at ease, tranquil. A soothing melody that reflects a shed of happiness beneath a maze of sorrow and despair. This tune… it's beautiful.

I opened my eyes slowly, greeted by the sight of a sunset on the window. I turned my head towards the piano, my movement muffled. As I saw the yellow ribbons, I knew exactly who was playing the instrument.

Suzumiya's back was facing me, disabling me to see her facial expression. All I could see was the smooth movement of her fingers. Every key she pressed produced a sound of perfection, echoing across the room and disappearing into thin air. It was like an angel's lullaby, the chime of heaven's bells. I couldn't help but to close my eyes and let my sense of hearing took over. The moment was too valuable to ruin.

I heard footsteps closing in between the sounds of the piano. Just as the song ended, its movement ceased.

"You're pretty good."

It was a compliment, genuine and ungreased by honey. The voice was familiar to my ears, though the tone of voice was a rarity for him to let out as such.

"Kyon, where are the others?" Suzumiya asked.

"Still at the beach." Kyon replied, moving closer towards the piano. "Didn't know you could play well."

Suzumiya chuckled a bit. "Yeah, I've been taught a lot of things since I was small."

"Hmm."

Silence fell upon them. I opened one eye to take a peek. Suzumiya was hanging her head down, expression unknown. Kyon stood beside her, staring at the girl with his usual bored expression.

"Something on your mind?"

The one who broke the silence was the cynic. His eyes reflected worry for once.

"Nothing… it's just something Yui-chan said earlier on the way here."

"Something about this being the last summer vacation?"

"Yeah… it's a bit sad if you think about it." Suzumiya muttered, the melancholy was heard from her tone of voice. "It feels pretty different without Mikuru-chan in the brigade. I don't know how it would be if we're all separated."

Gloom. Depression. I could feel the room getting a thick atmosphere all of a sudden. Somehow it made me sad as well, thinking about goodbyes.

Yui, Akiyama, Tainaka, Kotobuki, Nakano, Yuuki, Tanigawa, Kathy… they're all great friends to me. They're the ones who lend a helping hand when my back's against the wall. Thinking about parting ways with them feels like a stab in the heart.

"Well, it's not like it's the end of the world."

Kyon's statement snapped me out of my sorrowful dreams. He crossed his arms, locking his eyes at his leader with a stern look.

"Like it or not, high school will end. Some will go separate ways, some will go after the same rainbow's end. I don't know what Koizumi, Nagato or the others are thinking, but at least I…" Kyon turned away, his back facing Suzumiya. "I'll stay by your side."

Suzumiya's eyes were wide as saucers after Kyon let out those words. Needless to say, I too was surprised. For a cynical bastard like him to give hope to someone was quite a rarity. They remained unmoving for a few seconds. With a closer look, they had a small blush on each of their faces. Eventually, Suzumiya's expression turned into one of bliss. She smiled widely, her shining golden eyes matched the sunset on the horizon.

"Loyal to your leader, huh?"

"I guess you could say that." Kyon turned to face Suzumiya, a smile on his face.

"Keep up the good work, I might give you a promotion." Suzumiya turned her head, focusing back on the piano. She played a short melody, a jazzy-upbeat tune that could easily lift one's spirits up.

Somehow remaining a statue for a few minutes like this is a pain in the ass. I hate waiting. My gut feeling tells me if I were to get up now, I would probably ruin the heat of the moment between these two. Goddamnit, I guess I have no other choice but to stay still like a Draugr.

The music stopped, causing the silence to make its way in once again. This time, the silence wasn't one of despair. It was a moment of bliss, no words exchanged between them, but the contentment of the two was felt.

"Hey, Kyon…"

"Hmm?"

"Thank you, for what you said earlier."

A look of surprise made its way to Kyon's face. His eyes wide, his jaw dropped, and by the second, the blush on his cheeks grew more and more visible. Suzumiya was still smiling her sweet smile, gazing at Kyon's eyes with a meaningful look.

"N-no problem." Kyon averted his attention away, avoiding eye contact with the girl.

And yet again, silence filled the room. I heard nothing, not even a breath. It was as if time froze solid, like someone had pulled the batteries out of God's clock.

I observed Suzumiya with a squint. It seemed she was going to say something, but unable to let it out. A closer look revealed that she was not capable of speaking due to the lack of courage. After a few seconds, she nodded her head, taking a deep breath.

"Kyon, I-"

**BAM!**

"Ah, that was fun!"

Whatever Suzumiya wanted to say was cut off by the others' return. They were still in their swimming suits, ready for a good ol' warm bath in the tub.

"It was, until you almost crack my skull with a wooden stick!" Yuuki said, pointing an accusing finger at Tainaka.

"Hey, how was I supposed to know? I was blindfolded!" The tomboy retorted.

The two went to an all-out verbal war. Leave it to them to make some noises, I suppose they would be perfect as a diversion in a sneaking mission.

"Oh my, are we disturbing you two?"

Kotobuki was the first to notice that they were interrupting something. As usual, she had her innocent smile perfectly placed.

"What does that supposed to mean?" Kyon hissed, his annoyed face regained its position.

"Oh, sorry, please forget what I said." Kotobuki then walked away, presumably towards her room.

The cynic sighed tiredly, performing his trademark move. It was then he left the scene, heading towards the living room.

"Is Hiromi-kun still asleep?" Yui asked. I closed my eyes in reflex, not knowing what to do.

"So it would seem. He must be really tired." I heard Tanigawa spoke.

I'm awake, you idgit.

"Hey, let's draw on his face!"

Well, well, back to your old self, eh Suzumiya? I just saw you acting like a goddamn schoolgirl trying to say hello to her crush. I'm rather impressed you can get a hold of yourself within a few seconds.

"Hah! Good idea. Catch!" Yuuki said. I heard something being tossed towards Suzumiya. The sound of the item connecting to the floor was unheard, so Suzumiya had probably caught it perfectly.

"Perfect. Good job, Tanaka!"

I heard the sound of Suzumiya uncapping a marker. Ah, well, it's pretty obvious now, I don't think I need to tell you what the hell is going on.

I waited for the right time to counter. It was silent, nobody said a word. Just as the scent of alcohol entered my nostrils, I thrust my hand upwards, grabbing Suzumiya's wrist.

"Wha-"

I opened my eyes, glaring at the culprit of the prank. The brigade leader was taken aback, she didn't expect the victim to thwart her plans.

"Try harder next time." I said, releasing my grip off her wrist.

"Y-you're awake all this time?" Suzumiya asked with a bit of panic.

"Just woke up. The scent of alcohol from the marker ganked me out of dreamland." I lied. I'd be pretty much dead if I were to tell her I heard everything she said to Kyon.

"Quite a sharp sense you have, Yamamoto-san." Koizumi said, smiling his usual smile.

"It's in the blood." I muttered, getting up to fix myself a drink.

I took a quick glance at Suzumiya before entering the dining room. She gave me a suspicious look, narrowing her eyes like a snake on its hunt for food.

Damn it, she's gonna press out some information from me some time soon. Better get prepared.

All of that aside, I'm quite curious. What was Suzumiya going to say to Kyon? It must be something important. The message successfully conquered the oddball's feelings, which is strictly impossible. Every time Suzumiya wanted to say something, she'd announce it out loud, no need for reason or rhyme. Just then, I saw the pattern failing to continue its cycle. She was in great fear, terrified. She thought hard of the consequences in delivering that message to Kyon.

Well, one can only wonder.

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><p><strong>I used to update a lot faster than this, then I took an arrow in the knee.<strong>


	64. The Twin Snakes

**Author's note: Oh, wow, never thought anyone would read that rant. Ha ha, thanks guys, I think I'll reply to the reviews individually now...**

**Truner: Yep, I'm back, then I'm gone, then I'm back again! I'm an Enderman! About Tanigawa and Koizumi, it'll be explained below, after the replies. Sorry for the wait! Of course, this summer vacation will be multiple chapters, don't worry. Good luck with Arena!**

**zeromiku: Ha ha, the idea of a sequel is a bit scary, really. At the end of the story, everyone's problems are solved, meaning there's no other thing to write. If I were to make a sequel, I'll probably make a few new characters to pair up with the college girls, and Hiromi will be a side character. But really, the chance of that happening is really slim, say, 1%. And sequels are infamous for its unoriginality, so I don't want to take that risk. No worries, I'm pretty sure the ending will be satisfactory enough, and I still have a few filler ideas floating around. Might be another 10-20 chapters left to the ending.**

**Fenichi: Thanks for the review! (and for reading that rant) About Tanigawa and Koizumi, I'll explain it below, after the replies. I don't have any interest in writing a Skyrim fanfic, unfortunately. I don't know why, I'm only interested in writing an anime fic, such as this one. So yeah, that won't happen.**

**Rikkun: Thanks for reviewing and reading! Yeah, I always read reviews, so don't worry, I really appreciate the support you give. Make sure to treat that knee!**

**Stan: Thank you for following the story thus far, good sir. I actually have no idea what 'slice of life' means, but I guess this is a 'slice of life' story. I'm trying to combine every genre out there in one story, and I guess it went well so far.**

**Psihopatul: Thanks for reading! And you're going to need a lot of patience to wait for a chapter update, since I've been slowing it down due to... Skyrim.**

**Gotta say, this is amazing. Thank you for all the support, readers. My face went from :-O to :-) to :-D**

**So, about Tanigawa... yep, my back's against the wall here. He was intended to be a clone of Koizumi. During the planning days of this story, I kept thinking of a suitable character for Mio's boyfriend. For some reason, Koizumi popped in my mind. I could pair him with Mio, but I need at least two boys for the Light Music Club (Yuuki wasn't planned, he's one of the on-the-go characters). As a solution, I made a clone of him. So yeah, Tanigawa is basically Koizumi's twin brother.**

**These reviews about Tanigawa and Koizumi just gave me an idea. So, enjoy a chapter dedicated to the Twin Snakes!**

* * *

><p>Summer day on the beach is always nice. The stinging sun might be a problem, but it's nothing if you have smokes to accompany you.<p>

It was another day at Kotobuki's villa. The white sands, the blue seas, the place was pretty wondrous, I had never seen its equal. As a plus, the girls were in their swimsuits, splashing water around each other. Fair skins and cheerful faces, a man would never ask for a better sight. Somehow seeing these fine girls in bikinis reminds me of-

"Watermelons!"

Uh… no, not that, Tainaka.

Tainaka ran along the shoreline with huge watermelons in her hands. The others approached the president excitedly, looking around for a stick to break the fruit.

"Something's been bothering me for a while."

I turned my head to Yuuki, who was sitting beside me. We were on the mattress along with Nakano, Kyon, Nagato and Kathy.

"What's wrong, Yuuki-senpai?" Nakano asked her boyfriend out of worry.

"Nothing serious, but…" Yuuki pointed towards the group. "Don't you think those two look like identical twins?"

The people Yuuki was referring to were Koizumi and Tanigawa. The two gents were blindfolded, each with a stick in their hands.

"Now that you mention it…" Kathy muttered.

"Hmm, they do act the same." Nakano nodded her head.

"Both could annoy you at times." Kyon added.

The aforementioned two people were searching for their target without the help of sights. It seemed they would have no trouble finding it, I could see them approaching the watermelons slowly.

"And would you look at that…"

Koizumi stood tall in front of a watermelon, while Tanigawa stayed stationary in front of another. Simultaneously, they swung their sticks down in full force. In a blink of an eye, the summer fruits split perfectly in half. The others were amazed at the sight before them. Two fine gents splitting two watermelons in half at the same time was amusing, and a bit random.

"Now I'm starting to think that those two were invented by some kind of alien technology." Yuuki stated.

"You know that's not possible." Nakano sighed at the utter nonsense her boyfriend let out.

"Hey, let's do a research." Kathy suggested, her interests kicked up.

"Research?"

"To find the difference between the two."

"Huh, good idea." My old friend nodded his head. "And how are we going to do that?"

"We have a microexpressions expert over here." I felt a hand placed on my shoulder.

"No, thanks. I don't wanna waste my energy on such a pointless thing." I muttered, taking a swig from the beer can.

"Come on, for science!" Yuuki reasoned.

You remind me of GlaDoS.

But I guess he has a point. I'm quite curious as well, this research might produce valuable information. Maybe those two were long lost brothers? No matter how stupid it sounds, it's still a possibility.

"Fair enough." I muttered. "What's the plan?"

"I dunno, you decide." Kathy shrugged.

You irresponsible woman. That's like giving me a sweet roll you just stole from the bakery.

I sighed as I initiated my first facepalm for the day. "I can't really think effectively in this temperature, but the basic plan should be gathering data." I stated, placing my focus back on the others. They were waving their arms towards us, gesturing us to join in the fruity feast. "Physically, mentally, socially, everything. You need to present them in a situation that will show those points, without them realizing."

We all stood up from our seats, approaching the others with haste.

"So basically, we need to come up with a scenario?" Kathy asked.

"Yeah, a good one." I stated.

Of course, the girl was more than excited. Leave it to Kathy to come up with mischievous plans, she had the same brains as Kotobuki in such matters.

"Or you can use this scene provided by the others to observe." I said, nodding my head towards the group.

"Got it, my eyes are peeled."

"Did you guys see that?" Tainaka asked in amazement after we arrived.

"Yep, saw it with my own two eyes." Yuuki said, inspecting the watermelons. "Gotta say, this is awesome! Not many can split it perfectly in half, and you two did it at the same time!"

"Well, the simultaneous splitting is planned, but we never thought it would be this perfect. Good job, Tanigawa-san." Koizumi said, patting his partner in the shoulder.

"You too, Koizumi-san."

Ugh, hearing one of them talking is a bit annoying, but them talking to each other makes you want to blow your brains out.

"Alright then, let's dig in!" Tainaka exclaimed, arms reaching for the fruit like a wild beast.

"Hold it!"

The one who halted the action was Kathy. She pointed her index finger towards Tainaka with a devious smile on her face.

"What?" The president asked, raising an eyebrow.

"The honor of the first bite should belong to Tanigawa and Koizumi, since they're the ones who worked hard in making the feast available for us." The blond said, walking around the scene like a detective. "What say you guys?"

"I agree. They're the ones who split the watermelons, they deserve it." Akiyama nodded her head, smiling at her boyfriend.

Koizumi and Tanigawa defensively placed their hands in front of them, each with their trademark smile on their faces.

"No, it's alright, go ahead." Tanigawa said.

"But-"

"These fruits are meant to be shared, we are simply lending a hand in making them available." Koizumi reasoned, still smiling.

"Alright, if you insist…" Kathy crouched down to grab a piece of the refreshing fruit.

We enjoyed the feast under the bright sun's strong rays. The research team was quite pleased with the results, so I decided to do a little briefing.

"So they're pretty much the same in terms of kindness." I began as the subjects were out of earshot.

"Yep, it might be pretty obvious, but a little confirmation won't hurt." Kathy said, gobbling her slice of watermelon in joy.

"You guys are taking this a bit too seriously." Kyon commented, giving us a weird look.

"Hah! This is probably our everyday job back in junior high. Heh, good times." Yuuki stated, a satisfied smile on his face.

"Yeah, this really reminds me of those times. Oh, how I love beating the crap out of that one guy." The former gang leader chuckled as she remembered the dark, yet joyful past of ours.

"You what?" Kyon asked, raising an eyebrow at the blonde's statement.

"Eh, nothing. You really don't wanna know."

Well, curiosity won't lead you to satisfaction this time, Kyon. Trust me, you really don't wanna know. You probably won't see Kathy as the cheerful, carefree girl as she is right now if you do.

After the quick, fruity feast, the others went back to playing. Of course, I stayed stationary at the usual spot with Yuuki, Kathy and Nagato. The sun started to set, providing the place with an orange glow. It was a sight I'd forever cherish in my memories. The cheerful smiles, the calm seas, the white sands. It was like a sight ripped straight out of a beautiful painting.

"Aah, I'm tired."

The one who expressed her exhaustion was Suzumiya. She lied down beside me. Though weary, her face showed satisfaction. What caught my attention was her yellow ribbons were still in place, despite her swift movement like those of a cat.

"Didn't know you could get tired, Suzumiya." Yuuki said, focusing on the sunset.

"Yeah, it's pretty troublesome." The brigade leader replied. "Wouldn't it be nice for humans to have limitless energy?"

Then the world will be unbalanced. People will work without knowing where to stop, war will be fought 'til the last drop of blood, not to mention the evils that will abuse the overwhelming power they hold. I like the finite amount of stamina an individual has as of now, I think it's good enough.

"You and your odd words." Yuuki chuckled, shaking his head.

I see no harm in dreaming. But I guess it'll be a bit troublesome if you get used to it. You'll end up living in a fantasy world, abandoning the cruel faces of reality in the process. It's only a matter of limiting yourself, I suppose. Dream, but not too much. Sometimes, running away is fine, but everlastingly running away is classified as an irresponsible act.

"Say, you guys have any ideas for tonight?" Suzumiya turned her head to us, her face showed excitement.

"I'll just bury my head on the comfy pillow, thanks." I muttered, not wanting to participate in whatever the others planned for the night.

"You really are no fun, Yamamoto."

You're missing the point. I don't mind doing whatever you're planning, but it won't be as fun if I'm tired. Fatigue could affect most of your actions, reducing the positive benefits of the activity you're doing. It brings your mind into the negative, even the slightest mistake could lead you into excessive irritation.

"How about a test of courage?" Kathy suggested.

"That again? I hope we won't find a ghastly-looking teacher this time." Yuuki said, shuddering as he remembered the occurrence during last year's summer vacation.

"That's a good idea, we should definitely do it!" The brigade leader exclaimed, oblivious of the words Yuuki let out.

It makes me wonder how the future of Japan will be if high school seniors are still interested in doing a test of courage at summer break.

"Heh, this gave me one hell of an idea." Kathy muttered, an evil smile on her face.

Just before anyone could ask, she stood up and ran towards the villa, fast as a thunderbolt.

"Good ol' Kathy, leaving us clueless while running off doing God-knows-what." Yuuki stated, shaking his head whilst smiling.

"People don't change." I said, pulling out a cigarette from the pack.

"Guess so. Not like it's a bad thing, but really, she needs to at least drop a hint."

"That would take the excitement away, Tanaka." Suzumiya piped in.

"I know, but still, the suspense!"

Yuuki has a point. In some cases, extreme suspense could lead into madness, and ultimately, suicide. Though I doubt that Kathy's plan could kill someone, it's still poking at my curiosity.

"Best course of action is to not think if it. Occupy your mind with something else." I said, puffing on my lit cigarette.

"Yep, I'll just spend my time with Azusa. See you guys later!"

With that, Yuuki left the scene, leaving only me, Suzumiya and Nagato. The bookworm was completely engrossed in her book, not moving a single inch. I'm starting to wonder how it feels like to remain scarecrow like that for quite a long time, at least her back must've been really sore.

"Hey, Yamamoto, do you believe in love?"

What now, is there some kind of ghost possessing you, Suzumiya? I could call an exorcist if you want.

"I couldn't care less about it, but I guess it does exist." I stated, gazing at the cheerful faces on the beach. "I've seen it with my own two eyes. People loving each other, sharing their pain and pleasure. I don't really understand it, and frankly, I don't want to."

"Why not?"

"Too much trouble, got better things to do."

"Such as?"

I simply pointed at the cigarette I was holding.

"Those things could kill you, y'know." Suzumiya raised an eyebrow.

"We're all going to end up dead anyway, might as well do what you can to enjoy life to the fullest."

"I don't think pumping smoke to your body is enjoyable."

Your loss, Suzumiya. Your loss.

After the short, pointless conversation, night began to fall. Stars appearing, and the moon shined brightly, giving us minimum luminance. We headed back to the villa to wash off the salt on our bodies. A good can of beer later, Suzumiya announced her plan.

"We're going to have a test of courage tonight, so get yourselves ready, scaredy cats!"

The first one to react was Akiyama, who cringed at the thought. Of course, her boyfriend was there to comfort her as usual. The others were a bit excited, though Nagato kept her expressionless face intact. The only one who probably disagreed with the idea was Kyon, who raised an eyebrow at the plan his leader came up with.

"By the way, where's Kathy?"

Tainaka's question caught our attention. Surely enough, Kathy wasn't with us.

"Now that you mention it-"

"Looking for me?"

We turned our heads towards the door. Standing in the rectangular doorframe was the person in question. With her fresh smile, Kathy walked over to us.

"Where have you been?" Tainaka asked with confusion planted on her face.

"Eh, nothing, just feeling like resting my eyes for a bit."

Words of the devil.

"Alright, now we're all here, let's get going!"

Suzumiya's command initiated the others to move their tired legs towards the beach yet again. We greeted the night summer breeze with a trace of excitement on the club's faces. I looked up to the sky to see the undying stars shining brightly, gracing the dark void like lights on a Christmas tree.

Just as I was entranced by the twinkling stars, I felt a tap on my shoulder. Turning my head, Kathy entered my sight, smiling a devious smile.

"What?"

"Since you're pretty good at sneaking, I want you to do a favor for me." She said in a low voice.

"I'm listening."

"I'll try to persuade those two gents into going as a team, while you sneak past them and use this."

From out of nowhere, Kathy pulled out a… thing. It was a bloodied, wooden, faceless head, presumably from a mannequin. Its eyes were painted black, giving it a hollowed-out look, a line of artificial blood came out of it. The hair was long and black, covering most of the face. Just by a glance, it could send a chill up someone's spine.

"What in the name of anything breathing is that?" I asked, taking a closer look at the image of terror in front of my eyes.

"I found a couple of mannequins in the storage room, so I yanked one of its head off. With a bit of an artistic touch, I've transformed it to this thing."

"Mannequins? What for?" I asked nobody in particular.

"It's simply for display, Yamamoto-kun, though it hasn't been used in a long time."

I wonder if Kotobuki is practiced in the art of Ninjutsu. I didn't even hear her footsteps.

"Oh, sorry for that, Mugi." Kathy apologized for the criminal act she had committed.

Kotobuki waved her hand, smiling her usual gentle smile. "It's okay, we don't plan to use it any further." She said.

"So what am I going to do exactly?" I demanded for details.

"You just need to make use of this thing to scare 'em off. How you plan to do it is up to your creative brain."

Adapt and improvise, got it.

"You sure this is gonna work?"

"Pretty sure this thing will scare the bejesus out of them." Kathy said with confidence.

I doubt those two are actually scaredy cats, but encountering a bloody mannequin head in the middle of the dark forest should be creepy enough.

We gathered in front of the woods with only a couple of flashlights and the moon as our source of luminance. As usual, Suzumiya was the one to organize things.

Hmm, sneaking past those two will be redundant. I'll just slip into the woods now and wait for them.

After a short observation, I sneaked into the woods without anyone noticing. It was dark, visibility was zero. I waited a few minutes to let my eyes adjust to the darkness.

Damned mosquitoes. Not to mention the possibility of snakes and other creepy crawlies lurking around these corners. Oh, the things I'd do for science.

I noticed a flash of light coming from my six. I moved myself behind a tree to avoid detection. I was unable to make out the two people heading my way, but hearing their footsteps, I was certain that they were courageous, for the steps were sure and solid.

"A test of courage… I never thought I'd be doing it again."

Tanigawa's voice… so Kathy's persuasion attempt was successful.

A chuckle was heard coming from the other person's lips. Undoubtedly, Koizumi's.

"Suzumiya-san comes up with the most bizarre of ideas. But as weird as it sounds, this is actually enjoyable for me."

"I agree. Though some people would classify a test of courage as childish, it is, in fact, good for mental training." Tanigawa agreed.

I kept my position ahead of them to initiate my plan. Let's see… should I drop it from above, or roll it like a bowling ball? The latter sounds scary enough, I'll go with that.

I quickly made my way far ahead of the two. Within reasonable range, I lightly threw the head towards their direction. After making sure it kept rolling, I jumped to the bushes once again.

"Hm?"

The two stopped on their tracks as Tanigawa focused his flashlight on the incoming object. Their faces were unseen, disabling further analysis.

"Oh my…"

'Oh my'? You see a bloody mannequin head rolling towards you and your reaction is 'Oh my'? What are you, George Takei?

"This is truly something horrific." Koizumi took the head, inspecting it. "I heard your girlfriend is rather sensitive towards scary things, should we put this out of the way?"

"We should. I really don't want Mio-san to see this." Tanigawa agreed, nodding his head.

"Very well, then." Koizumi tossed the creepy item towards the woods. With a 'clonk', it disappeared to the darkness, never seen again.

Holy crap, these guys got guts of steel. Too bad, Kathy, your assumptions are incorrect.

The two continued walking like nothing had happened. I followed them with a trace of amazement in my mind.

"That was quite frightening, surely it isn't some spirit's doing." Tanigawa sparked a conversation.

"Of course not, a ghost wouldn't able to do something such as decorating a mannequin head. Obviously, that was a person's doing." Koizumi replied. "Such as a certain someone that disappeared before the test starts."

The two chuckled as they ceased their movements.

"Come out, Yamamoto-san."

Hmph, can't fool you two, huh?

I made my way out of the bushes, revealing myself to the two fine gents. Tanigawa pointed his flashlight at me, blinding my sight.

"Should've known you both are hard to fool." I stated, walking over to them.

"Well, it's pretty obvious, actually. We both noticed someone was missing before delving into the woods, so we were expecting some kind of surprise." Tanigawa said with his trademark smile still intact.

"Good eye."

"I'm curious, if your purpose is to scare us, why went through all the trouble? That prop you just used must've taken a lot of work." Koizumi asked.

"That's just how we roll, apparently. This afternoon, Kathy, Yuuki and I came up with a mission, which is to observe you two. The sole purpose of this mission is to be able to tell the difference between the two subjects." I explained, taking out a smoke. "Turns out, it didn't produce a single fruit. I've seen zero difference between you two so far."

"I see…" Tanigawa nodded his head. "Well, you can just directly ask us."

"Though I doubt that you will, there's a possibility that some of the info we will gain are lies. The only sure way to decipher one's personality is through microexpressions and spontaneous acts."

"You have a point." Koizumi muttered, focusing his attention on the road. "We've been friends since I first took my first step at North High. So far, I've seen no significant difference between us."

"Impossible. There's no way you both have the same personality, even twins are different." I stated, puffing on my lit smoke.

"Well, there's one I can think of."

"And that is?"

The SOS Brigade's Vice Chief narrowed his eyes with a sad smile on his face. After a few seconds, he shook his head.

"Nevermind, I'd rather not talk about it."

I raised an eyebrow at him. I turned my head to Tanigawa for an answer. He simply shrugged with his usual smile.

He knows something, I'm sure of it. Oh well, whatever it is, I can't forcefully interrogate a friend into giving me answers. I'll find out later.

Silence filled the air as we continued our journey to the other side. Darkness surrounded us, though a shed of artificial light in Tanigawa's hand showed the path. As I put out my smoke, I noticed Koizumi taking something from the ground.

"What are you up to?" I asked out of curiosity.

Koizumi smiled as he showed me a dead branch in his hand. "I've been seeing a lot of dead branches along the way, why not make use of it?"

"Are you thinking of a bonfire, Koizumi-san?" Tanigawa asked with a hint of interest on his face.

"Correct. Wouldn't it be nice, gathering around on the seaside with the stars above accompanying us?"

I get what you mean, no need to get poetic.

"I'll get the tinder." I said, looking around for suitable materials.

I collected some dead stuff for tinder. Koizumi managed to get a hold of a few kindling with Tanigawa's help. After a few minutes of scavenging, we arrived at the other side of the woods. The sound of the waves was heard clearly as the darkness around us thinned. It was another beach, unoccupied and soulless.

"Are we still on Kotobuki-san's property?" Tanigawa asked, looking around.

"I think so. Look." I pointed at a small path leading to the villa.

"Ah, I see. So, should we prepare the bonfire?" Koizumi suggested.

"Let's get it on."

We arranged the kindling and tinder with haste. My eyes were fully adjusted to the dark, so it wasn't really hard to see. As we continued our work, I noticed two people approaching us.

"Ah, we finally made it out."

Akiyama let out a sigh of relief as she came out of the woods. Walking beside her was Yui, smiling her innocent smile.

"Glad to see you two made it out unscathed." Tanigawa greeted.

"There you are, Hiromi-kun. I was looking for you." Yui said, tapping my shoulder. "You disappeared all of a sudden."

"Was making an observation to ensure the area's safe of snakes and such." I lied.

"I see."

Huh, I thought Tanigawa and Koizumi were the only ones who recognized my disappearance. Never thought Yui would notice.

As the bonfire was lit, people started arriving in groups. Starting with Nakano and Yuuki, followed by Kathy and Nagato. Each of them had a look of relief as they appeared from the dark woods, save Nagato who managed to keep her expressionless face intact. I had told Kathy the results of the observation, to which she responded with a look of disapproval. After a few seconds of weighing options, she gave up, concluding that there was zero difference between Tanigawa and Koizumi.

Not entirely true… I've yet to find out that one difference Koizumi mentioned.

After a few minutes, the others gathered around the bonfire, completely weary and scared. It amazed me how the dark woods could produce such magnificent fear in one's heart.

"Wait, where's Haruhi and Kyon-kun?" Akiyama asked.

Now that you mention it…

"They might be doing some… things. Alone. In the woods. Y'know…" Tainaka stated.

"You and your dirty mind, Tainaka. They could be lost for all we know." Yuuki piped in.

"Well, yeah, but-"

"That's probably the last thing I'd do in a goddamn pitch dark forest." I muttered, grabbing a flashlight. "I'll go and check."

"Come on, Yamamoto, give them some privacy!" Tainaka protested.

I ignored Tainaka's ridiculous request and continued walking towards the woods.

Well, as stupid as it sounds, there is a possibility that Tainaka's words are true. Maybe I'll just sneak my way there-

_GYAAAAAAAAAAA_

_WAAAAAAAAAAH_

I quickly made my way into the woods with the others following. It was Kyon and Suzumiya, I could tell. Their screams were of terror and fear, echoing across the land.

Not many seconds later, I saw two figures running towards me. Kyon and Suzumiya had a look of dread on their faces. I let them pass to the safety behind me as I pointed my flashlight to the dark path ahead.

"What happened?" Tanigawa asked Suzumiya, who was catching her breath.

"W-we found something- in the woods. A… head."

A head? Wait…

I lowered my guard and turned my back, letting out a tired sigh. "Let me guess… It's all bloodied and has hollowed-out eyes."

Suzumiya nodded her head furiously.

Kathy responded with a laugh – an evil one. The others were confused, save Tanigawa and Koizumi who knew of the horrific item.

"It's a prank Kathy planned for these two guys." I said, jerking my thumb at the general direction of the two gents. "Koizumi threw it away to disable the others from seeing it. Never thought you two would find that thing."

"What? So you're saying that thing is a…"

"Yeah, sorry for that, Haruhi." Kathy said in between snickers.

"Aah, damn it!" Suzumiya threw her arms in frustration, walking over to the bonfire.

"I knew getting off the road was a bad idea." Kyon shook his head as he sighed for the nth time.

"It is. Lucky you didn't get lost." I stated.

The two sat beside each other, a tired look on each of their faces. Kathy was still giggling at the sight. After a few minutes of silence, Suzumiya decided to spark a 'conversation'.

"Why did you run, anyway?" She asked Kyon in annoyance.

"You're the one who ran, I was just following you."

"You're lying."

"Am not."

The brigade leader sighed, clearly not in the mood for an argument. "My legs are killing me." She muttered, resting her head on Kyon's shoulder.

The cynic didn't say a word. That uncomfortable look on his face was enough to know what was on his mind. I shook my head, turning away from the two. It was then my eyes landed on Koizumi.

And that, was the time I found the difference between him and Tanigawa.

Koizumi was gazing at his fellow brigade member and his leader. He was smiling, yet showing neither happiness nor bliss. It was a sad smile, illustrating overwhelming melancholy. His eyes reflected an expression I had just learned a few weeks ago. It was envy. Bright, yet dull. Full of life, yet covered in darkness.

Now I understand. Tanigawa is already loving, and being loved. His pain and pleasure shared together with the girl he chose. But Koizumi, he doesn't have someone to hold him when he's alone, no one to lend a hand when his back's against the wall.

As I observed the gentleman, he turned his head to the side, where Nagato sat. She was staring at Koizumi with her usual expressionless face.

"Is there something wrong, Nagato-san?" Koizumi asked, putting on his smiling mask.

Nagato simply shook her head before going back to reading her book.

Huh, never thought Koizumi would be interested in love. I'm starting to think I'm the only one who doesn't care.

Well, I've seen love everyday. I've seen it come, I've seen it go, I've seen it come back again. Whatever is on Koizumi's mind is something not worth worrying about. I believe, sooner or later, he will find it. Love can bloom anywhere, even on the battlefield.

I can only wish you luck, Koizumi.

* * *

><p><strong>Pst, I'm a KoizumiNagato fan.**


	65. The Starting Point of Realization

**Author's Note: I promised myself to update faster, but my brain malfunctioned after watching the new Metal Gear Rising trailer. Sorry about that.**

**Time for the replies...**

**Fuuko: Mugiromi. Wat.**

**Ha ha, anyways, it's good to see you! I thought you've stopped following this story. About Asahina, yeah, I forgot to put an explanation somewhere in the previous chapters. She's busy doing college stuff, so yeah. Come to think of it, Mugi and Hiromi does make a good couple.**

**...is that Yui wielding a 10 ton hammer behind me, or am I just seeing things?**

**Kalo masalah update sih yaa... sabar aja yah, wahahahaha!**

**zeromiku: Hmm, no, I don't think so. Sequels are still a no go for me, no matter how I write it out. Regarding other stories... I don't think I'll be writing another fanfic, but it's my dream to write a light novel. So next time I'm writing something, it'll be an original story, in Japanese. It might be quite hard to achieve, but I won't give up easily. So wish me luck!**

**Fenichi: I honestly have no idea what you're talking about :D**

**How does one adjust a character based on plot and environment? What I've done for the past 170k+ words is delving into the minds of the characters. 'What would x do if he/she is placed in this situation?' 'What would x say if he/she is asked this question?'. Is this what you mean by adjusting a character based on plot and environment? I don't really pay that much attention to the other characters, but Hiromi has my mindset. He thinks what I think, he says what I say, and he experienced the changes I've been getting as my life goes on. So it's pretty easy to keep him in character.**

**Psihopatul: Good to hear of your practice, you're going to need it! Thanks for reading!**

**Now I'm quite done with Skyrim, I suppose updates will be a bit faster.**

**Maybe.**

* * *

><p><em>It is the evening of the day<br>__I sit and watch the children play  
><em>_Doing things I used to do, they think are new  
><em>_I sit and watch, as tears go by_

The song ended with one last strum. I heard a giggle coming from my right, where Yui sat with her acoustic guitar.

"How's that, Hiromi-kun?" She asked, her face showed pride and determination.

"You're getting better. Keep it up." I said, ruffling her hair.

I'm amazed. After three years of teaching Yui, I've never seen her skills dropping. She's moving forwards without once stepping back. I can never understand how she managed to sharpen her skills in a fast rate, despite her airheaded character. I guess talent does that to you.

"I wonder when the others will wake up…"

"Not sometime soon, they were up until almost 3 last night." I stated.

"Should we make breakfast?" Yui asked, placing her guitar carefully.

"Guess we should." I stood up from my seat, leaving the room with Yui following.

The villa was quiet, dead quiet. Yui and I were the only ones who woke up in the morning as usual. It was around 7 AM, the rising sun was seen from the windows. Last night's test of courage proved to be exhausting for some people, yet they still stayed up late. Youngsters today.

"What should we make?" Yui rummaged around the fridge, a trace of excitement on her face.

"What do we have?" I asked, looking around the kitchen for utensils.

"Eggs, milk, maple syrup, beer…"

"Flour. Pancakes?"

"Pancakes it is!"

We prepared the necessary ingredients for a good old fashioned breakfast. As we were on our tasks, I closely observed the airheaded girl beside me. Yui was looking pretty excited for some reason. Somehow just seeing her smile made the morning much, much brighter. I guess that's one of the psychological effects a smile can bring, it renders your mind into thinking positively.

Well, I see no harm in fooling one's mind with flowers and butterflies. This is a good time to spread happiness, summer break is where all the students are given a chance to let go of their problems, run away for a while.

"Y'know, from behind, you both look like husband and wife."

I reluctantly turned my head towards the voice behind me. Sitting on the dining table was Kathy, smirking with Kotobuki beside her.

"Good morning, you two." Kotobuki greeted with her usual smile.

"Morning. You're pretty early." I replied, turning my focus back on the pancakes.

"Well, we're students after all. We're supposed to get up early in the morning." Kathy spoke.

"Good point."

"Oh my, you two really do look like husband and wife."

Changing the subject won't work eh, Kotobuki?

Yui laughed nervously whilst rubbing her head. "Are we really?" She asked, turning to the two by the table.

"A perfect picture of a happy couple." Kathy clicked her tongue.

Let's see if I can find something to poison these pancakes. Maybe cigarette ashes will do.

"Come on, Kathy-chan, you know we're not a couple."

"Well yeah, but-"

"Good morning, everyone."

The one who managed to greet every people in the area whilst saving my hide was Koizumi. With a fresh look, he walked over to the dining table with Nagato following. The girl was - surprisingly - showed not a single sign of fatigue. I suppose other than the brains, she also has quite the stamina.

"Morning, Koizumi, Yuki. You guys had a good sleep?" Kathy replied.

"Yes, my respite went undisturbed. Thank you for asking." Koizumi stated, poking his head into the kitchen. "Need a hand, you two?" he asked.

"Nah, we're good, thanks." I said.

"Very well."

The gentleman had small chats with the girls by the table. Nagato sat there beside him. For some reason, Koizumi was having a really good time with the others. His smiling face was a rather pleasant sight combined with the rising sun outside.

"Hey, Hiromi-kun, don't you think Koizumi-kun is acting a bit more cheerful than usual?" Yui asked in a low voice.

"Good eye. Don't know why, but he is." I muttered, flipping a pancake. "Best to leave it be. Happiness could get expensive nowadays."

"Hmm… you're right." The airhead hummed to herself, nodding her head.

After a few minutes of flipping and frying, breakfast was ready to serve. I went out of the kitchen with a huge plate full of pancakes in my hands, Yui followed behind with two bottles of maple syrup.

"Hooly cow, that looks good." Kathy said, rubbing her hands together.

"Indeed. I'm pretty sure it'll taste just as great." Koizumi added.

That shows just how much appearance could heavily affect people's judgment towards things.

"Delicious or not, it's edible, at the very least." I said, placing the huge plate in the center of the wooden table.

"Enjoy!" Yui cheerfully exclaimed as she put the maple syrup beside the plate.

"By the way, I've brewed a nice morning drink for the two of you." Koizumi pointed his index finger at the two steaming cups resting on the table. With a closer look, one cup contained coffee in it, while the other is a cup of tea.

"How thoughtful. Thanks." I stated, walking over to my assigned seat.

"Thank you, Koizumi-kun!" Yui jovially thanked the gentleman, following me behind.

The gentleman waved it away like it was nothing. I took a sip of the coffee Koizumi had brewed. It was delicious, perfect for a summer morning.

The others started digging in, each complimenting the food after they took their first bite, save Nagato who silently placed pancakes into her mouth, swift as a fox. Not really good at handling kind words, I remained silent and let Yui do the talking.

A few seconds after the start of the feast, I heard footsteps descending the stairs. I turned my head to see Akiyama, Suzumiya, Nakano and Tanigawa walking towards us. They were looking quite fatigued, yet their eyes showed sparks of joy.

"Whoa, that looks good." Suzumiya said as her eyes landed on the pile of pancakes.

"Courtesy of this fine couple here." Kathy pointed her finger towards Yui and me.

I simply shook my head and sighed, while Yui managed to set up a rebuttal towards Kathy's statement.

"You seem a tad happier than usual, Koizumi-san." Tanigawa stated as he pulled a seat for his girlfriend.

"Really, now? I believe it's just your mind playing tricks on you, Tanigawa-san." Koizumi chuckled.

"I suppose. Either way, it's good to see you untroubled."

Yeah well, it doesn't take a genius to find out that Koizumi's been acting a bit weird since morning. Hell, even Yui noticed the absurd change.

"Whoa!"

**THUD!**

We jolted our heads towards the noise. Lying on the floor, in front of the stairs was Yuuki. Kyon and Tainaka rushed down from the second floor, their faces showed worry.

"Yuuki-senpai! Are you alright?" Nakano ran towards her boyfriend with a look of horror on her face.

After falling down some stairs? He'll be fine. It'd take at least two shots to the head to scratch him. I'm sure he could position himself rightly to minimize damage.

"Yeah, I'm good." Yuuki said through gritted teeth. "Guess I won't be sliding down the railing anymore. Damn curiosity." He muttered, looking up the stairs as he stood up.

Kids these days.

"Please don't do anything risky, Yuuki-senpai! You're worrying me!" Nakano scolded the ex-delinquent.

"Right, sorry, it won't happen again." Yuuki patted his girlfriend on the head, smiling warmly.

Taking risks is fine, it'll satisfy that feeling of curiosity you have, and will give off valuable information regardless of the consequences. But high risks are meant to be taken by someone desperate enough. Yuuki has a lot of friends, and a special someone by his side in his time of need. He's not one to take a risk that has a chance to snatch his life away. High risks are for lone wolves, who have nothing to lose, and no one to cry over them should their hearts stopped, and their breaths ceased. In other words, a hero, or a fool's job.

"A good way to start the morning, eh?" Kathy greeted her old friend.

"Yep, I feel peachy." Yuuki answered, taking a seat beside his girlfriend.

"Hey, Kyon! You're late! Minus ten points!" Suzumiya pointed her index finger towards the most underappreciated brigade member, Phoenix Wright style.

Kyon simply sighed as he took a seat beside his leader. Though his tongue didn't speak, his mind probably did.

"Oho, lemme guess, Yamamoto made this." Tainaka said as she inspected the pancakes.

"Half of it. Yui did the rest." I stated, jerking my thumb to my side.

"You should've seen them cooking side-by-side. They look like actual husband and wife!"

Jesus tap-dancing Christ, Kathy. Beating a dead horse isn't quite a good sport, you know.

"Whatever…" I feebly muttered, taking my cup of coffee. "I need a smoke." Standing up from my seat, I headed towards the glass door leading to the balcony.

"You really need to stop that nasty habit of yours, Yamamoto-kun." Akiyama said, frowning at me.

"I'll stop when I'm dead."

Morning summer breeze greeted me as I opened the door. It was starting to get hot, but at least not enough to bring me down. The salty air and the ocean view was quite relaxing for my mind, it was perfect for a time where assignments and lessons weren't there to pull us down.

I leaned on the railing with a lit smoke in my hand. Taking a glance to my left, I saw the windows that provided a clear view of the dining room. I stared at others inside for a few seconds, until a small smile crept up to my face.

I always thought happiness is a thing so hard to find, that you'd need to make a lot of sacrifices to get it. It's kind of hard to believe that I was wrong this entire time. My fuel for happiness is actually rather simple, and it could be easily obtained anytime and anywhere.

It's the smiles and laughs of the ones I hold dear.

Seeing the Light Music Club and the SOS Brigade chatting with each other, enjoying the meal Yui and I had made, it's rather simple, and yet, it feeds me with a feeling of bliss. Knowing that they're untroubled with anything serious, knowing that they're safe, knowing that they could be happy with the ones they loved. This sight, I can't ask for a better one, and I believe there is none.

Heh, all this time I've been asking questions, I never thought the answer would come so easily. I guess being simple-minded is one way to get through life. What have I sacrificed to reach this point? Next to nothing, I believe. Well, I did take two bullets to my stomach that one time, but I guess that was worth it.

Then again, maybe that's just me. Some people might define happiness as something expensive, some might even call a simple slice of cake as one, but at least, for me, it's something as simple as the others' ease.

The glass door opened, snapping me out of my dreams. Yui approached me with her cheerful smile planted on her face. I was lost pretty deep in thought, I didn't notice she had disappeared from the dining room.

"Don't you want to eat, Hiromi-kun?" She asked, placing her hands on the railings as she stood beside me.

"Nah, I'm not quite hungry." I said, putting out my smoke.

"Skipping breakfast isn't good for your body, you know."

"Caffeine counters that."

Yui laughed lightly, her hair fluttering around with the wind. "You never change, Hiromi-kun." She said, tapping my shoulder.

I guess I won't.

Silence befell upon us, though the waves and the wind kept the place lively. It was then I remembered something I previously had on my mind.

Hmm, I'm not one to ask questions, but I guess I'll do it. For science.

"Yui, I need to ask you a question." I broke the brief silence.

"Okay, shoot."

"What makes you happy?"

Yui turned her head to me, raising both of her eyebrows in surprise. She might be a bit taken aback, but the smile she had a few seconds later told me she was willing to answer the question.

"Well, there's Houkago Tea Time, the SOS Brigade and Giitah. Ui and Nodoka-chan, too." The airhead counted with her fingers, raising her head up. "Not to mention Mugi-chan's sweets and tea."

I knew it. A simple minded person could easily gain a dose of happiness from pretty much anything. A complicated mind isn't really efficient in terms of living a happy life. You have to be oblivious of the negatives around you to be happy, wipe the dirt and dust off a gold coin. But being unaware of the evils and dangers that lurk within this rudderless world could be a bit risky. In conclusion, I think it's best to keep things balanced. Keeping things simple while thinking before acting would be quite ideal.

"But there is one person that always keeps me happy."

Yui's statement caught my attention. I turned my head to my right to see her smiling warmly at the beach far in front of us.

"And that person is?"

"He's the one who's always there when I need him. He's also the one who taught me a lot of things." Yui said, her smile getting wider and warmer. "I guess you could say he's my knight in shining armor." She laughed, turning her head to me.

'He'? Tanigawa? Out of the question. Yuuki? Unlikely. Kyon? Contradicts with the statement, he didn't taught Yui a single thing. Best answer would be her father. Obviously, he's always there to comfort his daughter in her time of need and like a parent would always do, taught his children the basics of life.

"I see." I muttered, nodding my head.

"Did you figure out who this 'person' is?" Yui asked, an excited expression on her face.

"Maybe."

"Okay, so who is it?" The airhead was getting a bit anxious for some reason, and her face was red.

"It's-"

"Yui! We're going to the beach!" A voice came from inside. We turned out heads towards the glass door to see Tainaka waving her arms at us in excitement.

"C-coming!" Yui said, hurrying inside with the blush on her face still intact.

In a split second, I was alone yet again. The others inside were gone, probably changing to their swimsuits. I sighed as I made my way inside, feeling the sun starting to burn.

"Whatever your answer is, I'm 100% sure it's wrong."

I frowned as I slowly turned my head towards the voice. There stood Kathy, Tanigawa and Akiyama. The blonde was crossing her arms with a stern look on her face, while the gentleman kept his never fading smile. Akiyama was staring at me in disbelief.

"Did you just-"

"Yes, we were listening." Kathy answered shortly.

"I'd appreciate a little privacy next time." I muttered, walking over to the couch.

"I'm curious, Yamamoto-san. What's your best guess for this 'person'?" Tanigawa asked politely, his gentlemanly manner unscathed.

"Her father." I reluctantly answered, lying down on the expensive leather couch.

"Yep, I could be a fortune teller." Kathy nodded her head.

"I can't believe you're THAT slow, Yamamoto-kun." Akiyama shook her head, sighing tiredly.

"What? I think my guess is good enough, it fits the description."

"I believe the answer is obvious, Yamamoto-san. I'm amazed you didn't get it right." The gentleman said.

"So who is it, really?" I asked, getting annoyed at the comments.

"It's you."

"You're making things up."

"This person is always there when Yui needs him, don't you think that suits your description well? You cheered her up on the way here a few days ago." Akiyama said.

"This person taught Yui a lot of things. You're the one who led her into mastering the guitar." Kathy added.

"A knight in shining armor. Remember our last operation, Yamamoto-san? You were the one who thwarted the gang's plan to harm Hirasawa-san." Tanigawa stated, chuckling a bit. "Not to say of the rather flashy entrance you made."

"Coincidence." I said.

"I thought you didn't believe in them."

Damn it.

"Whoever it is, it's none of my business." I stated firmly.

"You're clearly still in denial." Akiyama sighed, shaking her head. "I wonder how long it would take to make you realize."

"It won't take a long time, because there's nothing to realize."

"Ah well, I suppose it's too soon. Let us wait a little longer, then." Tanigawa said to the girls.

"I guess so. We're going to the beach, you coming?" Kathy asked.

"No, I need some sleep. Screw the summer sun."

"Alright, I hope you have a horrible nightmare." The blonde waved her hand, making her way upstairs with the others following.

Whatever…

More sleep in the noon means less sun to face. I need to rest as long as I can.

With one last yawn, I closed my eyes and drifted away to dreamland.

...

**Creeeaaak…**

The creaking sound of a door woke me up. Though conscious, I decided to keep my eyes closed. Light footsteps were heard, closing in to my position.

A girl, weighs like a feather. The pattern of her footsteps was a bit unsystematic, she's either unsure of her actions, or struggling to keep her balance as she tiptoed towards me.

The girl stopped as she stood in front of the couch. I could only hear her nervous breathing. Within a few seconds, I heard her taking a deep breath, then exhaled.

"You can do it!"

Yui? What the hell is she up to?

As questions appeared endlessly inside my head, I heard her breath getting closer and closer. I was starting to get uncomfortable, and panic settled in.

Damn it! What the hell am I supposed to do? Wait, more importantly, what is she trying to pull? Think, Hiromi! Think!

I could feel her breath on my face within a few seconds. Coming up with nothing to stop this nonsensical act, I braced myself for anything that may happen to me.

"Ah-hem."

Yui let out a small gasp of surprise as she heard someone clearing his throat. I let out a sigh of relief as her breath could no longer be felt on my face.

"I'm sorry, Hirasawa-san, but the president wanted to see you. It seems rather important."

Tanigawa! Thank the Divines!

"R-right! I'm on my way."

I heard Yui's footsteps fading away in a quick pace. Silence filled the room, yet I could feel someone was standing there, remaining scarecrow while his eyes, sharp as a blade, focused on me.

"'Saved by the bell' isn't quite a correct phrase to use for that one." Tanigawa began, walking over to me.

"Intentional, huh?" I said, opening my eyes to be greeted by the sunshine on the horizon. "What is she up to?" I asked, sitting up straight.

"I believe you could guess." Tanigawa sat across me, his smile still intact.

"Why? Why would she want to do that?"

"I haven't the foggiest, I'm afraid." The gentleman said, focusing on the floor.

Damn it, you know something, don't you? Your face spelt 'LIAR' very clearly. Ah well, I really don't want to think in this state.

"Thanks for saving my hide, anyway." I muttered, sighing tiredly.

"No, you are incorrect, Yamamoto-san." Tanigawa turned his head to me, giving a serious look. "My intention is to save Hirasawa-san, and not you."

"Save Yui? What are you talking about?" Confusion ran through my mind as I struggled to keep my senses running.

"I saved her from taking a dark path of uncertainty, a narrow road of loose cobbles. I've stopped her from inevitably encountering overwhelming sorrow."

"Stop talking in riddles, I'm in no mood for that crap." I stated, standing up to fix myself a cup of coffee.

Tanigawa chuckled lightly, his trademark smile was back. "Well, as I've said before, you will understand soon." Said he, standing up from his seat. "I'll be going now. I suggest you relax a bit, and give some thought to what I said. Trust me, it's for your own good, Yamamoto-san."

I'd rather think of what skills I should improve next in Skyrim.

Tanigawa left the villa after that, making the silence crept back inside. I brewed myself a cup of coffee and carried it outside, to the balcony.

With a lit smoke in my hand, I gazed at the orange sky with the others below it. The ocean reflected the sun from above, sparkling beautifully like diamonds. One puff of smoke, and I began to process Tanigawa's previous words.

What did he mean by 'saving Yui'?

No, wait, let's get to the earlier problems first.

Why would Yui do that? Making an attempt to… kiss me in my sleep. No, no one with a common sense would do that. I need a reason. Why did it come up into her mind in the first place? Curiosity? I don't think I'd do that to satisfy a curious brain, no, that would be too much. What else… let's see…

I can't find anything else.

There is one, but I don't think I'd want to believe that theory is correct. No, no way in hell.

"Damn it." I growled in annoyance.

What the hell, I don't think it's worth the trouble. I couldn't care less about what Yui wanted, and what Tanigawa had done. It's summer break, I'm not supposed to rack my mind with useless things.

All I need is my coffee and my smoke.

* * *

><p><strong>The end is near! I'd say the 70th chapter is the last one. Or 73rd. We'll see.<strong>


	66. The Story So Far

**Author's note: I will update faster next year. This, I promise.**

**And disregard my statement in the previous chapter. Fenichi convinced me, this story will be longer!**

**Truner: Pfft, yeah, let's see you update faster when your story is published. Ten bucks says I'm a lot faster than you!**

**And yeah, I think I overdid that one scene a bit. I was trying too hard to make an artsy scene. Ah well, the rice has turned into porridge. Or whatever that phrase is.**

**gfl1997: Ha ha! Tell your friends! The most reliable way to promote things, word of mouth. And an epilogue might be present, I haven't planned one as of yet. Would be cool if executed right, so if I think it's good enough, there will be an epilogue. Thanks for reading!**

**Fenichi: Yep! You've convinced me! I still have a few ideas floating around, and I don't want to waste them. And yes, I suggest you avoid eating pancakes from now on, you'll never know what is it made of. *sinister laugh***

**Fuuko: Hah! I guess I did my job right, then. It's my intention to annoy the readers with Hiromi's stubborn head. You're a victim!**

**Psihopatul: Heh, I don't think I'll be writing another story for a while. It's a bit tempting, but nah, half-assed attempts are always bad. After this story is finished, I'll wait for a while, you may call it a 'cooldown' moment. But I assure you, this won't be my last.**

**Stan: Glad to know you like the details. It's a bit tricky, this 'details' thingy. Some call it unimportant, and should be left out. But I see no harm in adding those little things. So yeah, thank you for convincing me that details are important. You have a good eye, sir!**

**So... this chapter is a kick start to the 'conclusion' arc. I won't go straight to it, there will be fillers in between the main storyline. So here we go!**

* * *

><p>Late summer is always a nice time to relax. Though the sun still burns, it's not as bad as midsummer.<p>

I was just lazing around my house with nothing to do. The air conditioned room disabled me from predicting the temperature outside, but it seemed to me that the sun was taking a break from mercilessly roasting the people on earth. Not in the mood for Skyrim, I decided to find another way to vanquish my boredom.

I grabbed my pack of cigarettes and went out, not forgetting to turn off the air conditioner.

As I walked towards the park, I passed by a few high school students on the streets. The look on their faces told me what was on their mind quite easily.

Second term's about to begin. Within a few days, we're going to face a series of lessons and assignments, endlessly thrown at us like pieces of furniture in a storm. Few people might get stressed really bad, knowing that their holiday is ending, but as a senior high school student, I suppose my train of thoughts is in order. No longer than a few months, we'll be college freshmen, it's time to think more like a grown-up now. Face the world as it is, adapt to the environment, you can't fight it.

I guess I'll get along just fine as long as I have my smokes.

I arrived at the park after a few minutes of walking. It was a bit crowded, yet not enough to pack the whole place like a street market in a year-end sale. Since the day was Saturday, most of the visitors were kids and their parents.

I took my time in searching for a good spot to smoke. It was then I saw a familiar figure, sitting on a bench.

A redheaded girl with a small and fragile figure was gazing at the kids playing with their families in wonder. Her soft, bright brown eyes gave off an aura like a loving mother. Her hair was tied up to a ponytail, slightly waving around with the breeze. A small smile graced her lips - a definitive meaning of beauty.

I walked over to her, gaining her attention. Her smile widened as she turned her head to me.

"Good afternoon, Yamamoto-kun. It's been a while." Her soft voice greeted me.

"Afternoon. How are you doing, Asahina-senpai?" I replied, taking a seat beside her.

"I'm doing well, thank you." The senpai giggled lightly. "Even though college has been keeping me quite busy."

"Really? Figured as much."

"How's the brigade doing?"

"Same old, same old." I chuckled as I remembered Suzumiya's words during summer break. "The leader's been missing you, though."

Asahina-senpai widened her eyes in surprise, though I saw a spark of happiness in them. "Is that so?" she then let out a small giggle.

"She didn't show it publicly, but your absence has struck Suzumiya quite badly. Kyon's trying his best to remedy the situation, fortunately."

"Ah, yes, that is good to hear. He's the only one who could cheer her up."

I guess so. Suzumiya seems to be really fond of Kyon. It's quite obvious if you observe with a squint, and yet, the reason is still a fluctuating mystery. In these times, one can only wonder.

"How about you, Yamamoto-kun? Having fun with the Light Music Club?"

"I suppose." Letting out a sigh through my nose, I reclined back on the bench. "A bit annoying at times, but yeah, 'fun' is a good way to describe my experience with them."

Laughing a bit, Asahina-senpai turned her head to me. "Annoying? Why would you say that?"

"I guess you haven't heard of this 'plan' they're concocting."

"Do tell."

"For some unknown reason, they're trying to get me together… with Yui." I explained, crossing my arms. "No idea when it started, next thing I know, the SOS Brigade cooperated."

"Well, whatever the reason is, I believe it's for the greater good."

"The greater good?"

"You've been in high school for almost three years now, Yamamoto-kun. What have you gained from all those years?"

A lot of things, I suppose. Too much to tell, but I guess I'll just sum it up.

"I've learned about the value of friendship, primarily." I stated. "Having someone to always watch your back is a good feeling."

"Anything else?"

I'm not really one to share my personal experience to someone, but Asahina-senpai truly is a kind person. I suppose there's no harm in speaking my heart out.

"Mostly little bits, this and that. Back in my junior high years, I've seen it all, the faces of sorrow, despair, hate, anger. It was a nightmare. I had expected for these accumulated amount of filth to carry over to high school, continuing the endless cycle of agony and pain." I muttered, narrowing my eyes as I remembered the dark past Yuuki, Kathy and I had experienced. "Good to know I was wrong. The Light Music Club offers a different experience, the exact polar opposite of my younger days. They've brought me happiness, they accepted me for what I'm worth. When I thought that the darkness would come back to me, hunting me down in a never-ending chase, they showed me a shed of light. Next thing I know, the darkness wasn't there, vanished without a trace."

Asahina-senpai smiled softly, nodding her head as she closed her eyes. She seemed to have a gentle aura surrounding her, it made me at ease just by sitting here beside her.

"That is good to hear." She began, smiling at me. "You've changed a lot since the first time I've heard of you. Tell me, Yamamoto-kun, are you content with all the experiences you've gained in these three years?"

"Yeah." I chuckled, looking up at the sky. "Within such a short period of time, I've learned a lot of things that changed me altogether. I couldn't ask for a better gift than this."

"Then you are walking in the right path. You didn't waste your time in high school, and you embrace the precious memories like it was a gift from the heavens." Asahina-senpai let out a contented sigh. "You might not realize it, but your days in high school are almost over. It feels like a long dream, don't you think? All of a sudden, it's all over. The uniform we wore, the crowded school canteen, the clubs we attended, in a blink of an eye, they're all gone from our everyday lives. It's a bit sad, really, but that's how time works. You can't stop it, the clock remains ticking. All you can do is make the best out of it."

She's right. My status as a senior high school student will be removed in a few months, and I will continue my study to reach a higher level at college.

Some may say that it's a good thing. But something inside of me tells me otherwise. It's a nagging feeling of sorrow, yet its reason of existence is unknown.

"How did you feel when you were separated from the SOS Brigade, Asahina-senpai?" I asked out of curiosity.

"Well, I was really sad at first. But as they said, time heals all wounds." The senpai responded. "I presume you have the same feeling right now?"

"Spot-on. What is it, really? It's getting a bit annoying."

"Part of it is, of course, sorrow of getting separated with the ones you hold dear. But I believe what affects you the most, is a feeling that you have yet to realize."

"I've yet to realize?" I repeated, tiling my head in confusion. "Ridiculous. There's no such thing."

"Oh, there is, Yamamoto-kun. Your friends are helping you in your search for this feeling, as a matter of fact."

"Helping me? You mean, this feeling has something to do with love?"

"That is what I'm implying, yes." Once again showing her angelic smile, Asahina-senpai leaned back on the bench. "Your high school memories aren't quite complete. It's missing a piece, a jigsaw puzzle unsolved. You are in fear, Yamamoto-kun, that you might miss the opportunity to fulfill your feeling of satisfaction."

"So you're saying that I need to love, and be loved to exterminate this nagging feeling?"

"That is correct."

I scoffed as I shook my head in disbelief. "No, thanks. I'd rather let it keep tugging at my heartstrings."

"Well, if you can endure it, I see no harm."

"Besides, wouldn't a man be labeled as greedy if he asks for more when he had enough?"

"Not if it costs next to nothing." The redheaded girl said. "You will harm no one in the process. No sorrow, no regrets, no grief. Even better, I believe you would make a certain someone the happiest girl in the world."

Now you're just over-exaggerating.

"The final answer is no." I stated.

"Very well." the former brigade mascot sighed. "You can't force feelings into someone."

"I'm afraid so. Best course of action is to let it be."

"Well, I'm afraid I must go now." Asahina-senpai stood up, checking her watch. "It's been a pleasure talking to you, Yamamoto-kun. I wish you well."

"You too." I replied, smiling at the kind senpai.

Asahina-senpai turned away and began walking. It was then that she turned to me once again. "Ah, yes, I nearly forgot." She said. "I will be attending the next school festival. We will meet again by that time."

"Alright, I'll see you there."

Giving me one last smile, the girl walked away, disappearing into the crowds.

I let out a sigh, raising my head up to the sky. It was starting to get dark, and the sun was setting. I pulled out a cigarette from the pack for a quick smoke, which was my original intention of going all the way out here.

Asahina-senpai seems pretty different. I didn't see her much, but I've heard stories of her being a helpless little child who constantly got harassed by her brigade leader. Either all of those information I've gathered are manipulated, or she's changed a lot. I'll take the latter. Maybe her time in college altered her personality in a massive amount.

"Hiromi-kun, what are you doing here?"

A soft voice snapped me out of my dreams. Turning my head, Yui entered my sight. She was tilting her head in wonder as her eyes sparkled, reflecting the setting sun ahead of her.

"Went out for a smoke. You?" I said, putting out my cigarette.

"Just taking a stroll." She stated, smiling cheerfully. "Hey, can I come over to your house?"

"In this hour? Your parents might get worried."

"C'mon, just for a little while."

I don't really like being responsible for anything that might happen to her in the next few hours, but I guess there's nothing to worry about. What's the worst that could happen in a late summer evening?

"Alright." I stood up from my seat, turning towards the direction of my house.

Yui cheered excitedly, jumping whilst thrusting her fist into the air. I chuckled at the sight. Three years ago, I was quite annoyed at her ignorance towards the dark corners of the earth. Now, I feel really at ease just seeing her smiling happily.

"The school festival is near! Do you think we can perform well, Hiromi-kun?" Yui sparked a conversation as we walked through the quiet streets.

"Seeing the club's progress, I've no doubt that we will do great. Sure, they might be too lazy at times, but what kept them going is their trust between each other. A band is like an army, they need to act as one to accomplish their mission."

"Of course, we're always together, no matter what happens to us!"

"In addition, I've seen your progress this year. You're doing pretty good, both in guitar and vocals. It's a certainty that you will be able to perform well. That, I promise you."

Yui turned her head to me, a tint of pink was seen on her cheeks as she slightly widened her eyes. Within a few seconds, she looked away, rubbing her head whilst laughing nervously.

"You're just flattering me." She said.

"Never done that before. Don't think I will. I speak only the truth."

"T-thank you, Hiromi-kun."

Is it really that flattering? I don't think it's worth blushing over. Ah well, Yui's a strange girl anyway. No use to bring logic into her mindset.

We stayed silent after the conversation. Yui was really quiet on the rest of the trip, her mind was probably filled with the compliment I had said before.

As we arrived at the front door of the Yamamoto residence, I noticed something was off. Deciding to investigate a little further, I examined the lock on the door.

Unlocked… someone just broke in!

I quickly turned to Yui. She was about to say something when I covered her mouth to avoid producing loud noises.

"Head over to Tanigawa's. If I don't come to get you in five minutes, tell him to get into my house with extreme caution." I whispered.

"Wha-"

"No questions. Just go!"

With a worried look on her face, Yui feebly nodded her head. She scurried away to my neighbor as I released my grip.

I carefully tread over to my residence, preparing for an encounter.

Now… who the hell would want to commit a crime when the sun still shines? No, a regular robber would wait until nightfall. If it's a madman, I don't think he would be able to pick the lock.

Damn, I've got a bad feeling about this.

The place was dark with the lights out and curtains closed. I checked every corner of the room with caution, expecting an ambush.

As I was in the living room, I heard noises coming from the kitchen. Setting that as my new destination, I quietly made my way there.

I saw a figure of a man. He was rummaging through the fridge, his back facing me. I took each step towards him with muffled movements, getting ready to initiate a surprise attack.

My plan was thwarted as he turned his back in high speed, thrusting his fist towards me. I managed to dodge with reflex, but failed to initiate a counter attack. The intruder turned to me, his face unseen due to the dark surroundings. He entered his fighting stance, which was the same as mine.

"CQC, huh? You're no ordinary thief. Who sent you?" I asked with a threatening tone.

The intruder remained silent, keeping his stance.

"If that's what you're asking for…"

I slowly took a few steps forwards, closing in to his position. Once within range, I made an attempt to grab him, to which he countered by grabbing my right arm. I used the momentum to spin around and use my left elbow to strike. He anticipated the move, blocking it with his other arm. Before I could act, he pushed me with an enormous amount of force. I barely managed to keep my balance, and as I turned to him, he was already standing in front of me, getting ready to strike.

Damn!

I braced myself for impact. Much to surprise, his move wasn't one of harming. He wrapped his arms around me, embracing me tightly. I widened my eyes in surprise as confusion ran through my mind.

"You've grown… Hiromi."

I let out a gasp a surprise after I heard him speak.

That voice… No! It can't be!

"…Dad?"


	67. Still Alive

The intruder let go of his grip, taking a few steps back. Rays of the sun infiltrating the room gave enough light for me to see his face.

He was taller than me, his face showed slight wrinkles, indicating his age. Long brown hair reached the tip of his shoulders, slicked back though a bit messy. His brown eyes gazed onto me, reflecting happiness and nostalgia. His well-built body showed his experience on the battlefield, as if he was forever stalking the theatre of war.

"Impossible! You're…" I exclaimed in disbelief.

"Well, I suppose I have a few things to explain-"

"Freeze!"

Appearing from the living room was Tanigawa, pointing his gun at my father. I raised my hand, ceasing his actions. Yui was seen behind the gentleman, a worried look on her face.

"Hold it, Tanigawa. He's no threat."

"Who is he, Yamamoto-san?" Tanigawa asked, lowering his gun.

"He's… my father."

"What? How did he-"

"Alright, stop that, I'm feeling like a dead man coming back to life. Oh wait, I am." Dad said, sighing tiredly. "I'll explain, now let's just get the lights on, you don't want to ruin your eyes."

We used the dining room as the venue. I was still at shock and disbelief, rendering my brain ineffective for thinking. Seeing a man who died five years ago was unpleasant.

After all was set and done, Dad began his explanation. Tanigawa was kind enough to provide the man with a cup of coffee – to reduce the tension of the situation, said he.

"It's been a long time since we've separated. Six, seven?" Dad began.

"Five, almost six." I corrected him. "You left me during my junior high years."

"I see. I suppose you're pretty surprised now that I'm here, alive and kicking." He took a sip of his coffee. "I guess I'll start my storytelling now."

I leaned on the wall as I focused on my father. He had a serious look on his face, his hands propping his chin.

"Five years ago, I received a word from one of my friends. It was something horrific – inhumane. A black project, planned by an old fool, whose will was to control the battlefield with a lift of a finger. It was something that could spell doom to the human race should it be practiced in the fields." Dad narrowed his eyes, his expression reflected despair. "They call it the GENE Project."

"GENE?"

"Les Enfants Terribles. I'm pretty sure you're familiar with that name."

Metal Gear Solid… A project, aimed to produce clones of the legendary soldier Big Boss.

"You're telling me…"

"Yes." Dad gave me a sharp look. "It's basically the same concept with the GENE Project."

I widened my eyes in surprise as my body tensed. Staring at my father in disbelief, I swallowed an imaginary lump stuck in my throat.

"That means, if they were to get their hands on a skilled soldier…"

"Yeah. An army of soulless soldiers with no actual real-life battle experience whatsoever, waiting for their master's command."

I shook my head, still couldn't process the information Dad had gave me.

"Unbelievable." I muttered, rubbing my temples.

"They were planning to capture the most powerful soldier ever existed, a man born on the battlefield, a true killing machine, fighting neither for ideology nor believe." Crossing his arms, Dad continued. "It was me. But knowing how genes work, they could get my son as an alternative."

"So that is why you faked your death…" Tanigawa commented.

"Correct. I would do fine avoiding those guys, but my son was at harm's way. I had no other choice. We stopped all of our work, and focused on the GENE Project. For years of undying dedication to stop the plan, we've finally put an end to it. Now I'm done, retired. I'll spend the rest of my life here, waiting for death to come and get me."

"All these years, you were fighting endlessly to keep your son safe from the devil's hands." Tanigawa said. "You are a noble man, sir."

"Says you." Dad replied, turning his head to me. "I suppose my son would think quite differently."

I looked down on the floor, not knowing what to say.

Five years. He's abandoned me for five years, leaving me to rot in this world without basis. But his absence was for my own safety, he shielded me from evil's eyes. Should I be thankful, or should I be angry?

As the questions cycled endlessly inside my head, I shifted my eyes to someone – a girl, tilting her head in confusion as she had her eyes on me. It was then all of my doubts vanished without a trace.

It all began with her, suddenly inviting me to the Light Music Club. I could've continued my life as a lone wolf had she not speak to me. I was alone, denying every people's attempt in socializing with me. And yet, she came to me like a midsummer breeze, giving me a chance to be a better man. Yeah, Dad's absence was easily filled in with the Light Music Club, my second home.

I have the answer now.

"It's obvious." I stated, chuckling a bit. "I'll say the same."

Dad gave me a soft smile, letting out a sigh of relief.

"Thank you, Son. I was expecting you to kick my ass." He laughed. "Good to know it ended up the opposite."

_Ring Ring Ring Ring_

The sound of a phone ringing diverted our attention. Yui flipped her phone open, answering it with haste.

"Hello? Oh, okay. Yes, I'll be there in a minute!"

Hanging up, she turned to us, rubbing her head.

"Mom said I need to go home now." she said.

"Tanigawa." I called out to my friend.

The gentleman turned to me and nodded his head understandingly.

"I'll take you home, Hirasawa-san." He said, regaining his usual smile.

"Eh? No, it's okay, I can go on my own."

"It's getting dark, and I presume the owner of the house would want you to be safe on your way home."

Yui turned her head to me, to which I responded with a nod.

"Okay then." Yui said, nodding her head. "I'll get going now, Hiromi-kun, Mr. Yamamoto!" she exclaimed cheerfully, waving her hand as she walked out of the door.

Tanigawa turned to me. I mouthed a small 'thanks' to him before he gave me a wave of his hand. With that, he left the room, ready to escort Yui to the safety of her home.

"She's cute. Your girlfriend?" Dad asked with a look of interest on his face.

I scoffed, making my way to the kitchen. "Hell no. She's just a friend." I stated.

"A 'friend' won't call you by your given name."

"Whatever…" I muttered, fixing myself a cup of coffee.

"Ah, the old 'whatever' escape! You haven't change in the slightest, Hiromi!" I could hear Dad's booming laugh across the room.

"Damn it." I said under my breath, moving myself to the dining room once again. "You still smoke?" I asked Dad.

"Not a day passed without one. What, you're smoking now?"

"Yeah, can't help it."

"Not that I mind. It's been proved as quite a problem for parents to stop their kids from smoking." Dad stood up, heading towards the backyard. "But I see no harm in letting you smoke. Even if I forbid it, I don't think that would stop you."

"You're right, no one, and nothing can stop me from lighting a cigarette." I said, following him with a cup of coffee in my hand.

Evening summer breeze greeted me as Dad opened the door leading to the backyard. It was dark, and the moon was doing his work as a not-so-reliable source of light. I pulled out a cigarette from the pack, lighting it in an instant. My father took out a cigar – Cuban, I presume. It reminded me of the old days, where I would practice in the backyard with Dad smoking his heart out.

"That smiling man… who is he?" Dad asked, letting out a cloud of smoke.

"Tanigawa Kaito, a friend of mine." I replied.

"What's his story?"

"Son of a yakuza boss, practiced in firearms and unarmed combat. Wasn't pleased with his status, he persuaded his father to let him live his life as he pleased."

"Though the blood of a criminal runs in his veins, he has the eyes of a warrior." Dad stated. "Speaking of which, how's my old gear? I hope you're not using it to attract the girls."

"Of course not." I said, frowning at him. "I've used it once. Tanigawa, too."

"What happened?"

"Kidnapping, both cases. First one was Kotobuki Tsumugi, I suppose you're familiar with that name."

"Kotobuki!" He exclaimed. "That old man's still breathing?"

"Yeah, his daughter is a friend of mine."

"Holy crap, such a small world we live in." Dad chuckled, shaking his head. "So how did the operation go?"

"Not quite successful, I'd say. Sure, I've extracted the subject into safety, but I took two bullets in the stomach."

"You what?"

"I said I was shot. Twice." I repeated.

Dad stared at me, one eyebrow raised.

"At least you didn't take an arrow in the knee."

"Dad…" I groaned in annoyance.

"I assume you killed a few people." He said, changing the subject.

"Took out the whole building." I corrected him.

"How does it feel?"

"I feel no remorse." I stated, remembering the first time I ended a man's life. "I know it's for a good cause, and my wrath was practically blinding me that time. I was a beast, hunting its prey in a moonless night."

"I see… you're off for a good start, then. Many men on the battlefield would lose their sanity the first time they killed someone." Dad began, puffing on his cigar. "They don't know why they're killing people. They have no reason, no rhyme. They're just puppets, manipulated by the higher ranks. But you… you have a good reason to kill them. They're criminals, they won't be able to turn their backs and be done with it. The only way to get rid of them, is to end their lives."

He's right. There's no such thing as a second chance for a criminal. Gang members and petty thieves are not worth the trouble, and should be taken care of by the officials. But when it comes down to drug dealers, assassins, kidnappers, they deserve to meet the devil face-to-face.

"Taking out a life can preserve another." Dad recited. "That's the code of the samurai."

"You took that line from the new Metal Gear Rising trailer." I said.

"Goddamnit, son, I was trying to sound awesome."

"Won't work with me, try harder."

Dad laughed wholeheartedly, patting me on the head.

"Well then, I think I'm going to enjoy the rest of my life here. I hope you don't mind loud noises, I'm far behind the gaming world now, and I need to catch up."

"Those walls are soundproof for a reason." I stated, putting out my smoke.

He hasn't change at all. His silly, sometimes annoying character, his addiction to video games and cigars. Five years of his absence, and he's just as I remembered him. The only difference I can see is probably his physical appearance. He looks a bit older now, with wrinkles here and there, not to mention the scruffy beard that covers his jaw. He looks like MGS2's Solid Snake now that I observe him a bit further.

"By the way, about that girl…" Dad began.

"Hirasawa Yui, what about her?" I asked.

"She seems to be really fond of you."

"Your imagination." I replied.

"My imagination is filled with nude images of Scarlett Johansson, so you can count that out." He butted back. "There's obviously something going on between you two."

"Nothing is going on. You're exaggerating."

"Is she pregnant?"

"Dad!" I jolted my head to him in disbelief.

"I'll kick your ass into the previous Elder Scrolls game if my assumptions are correct." He threatened.

"Of course not! Jesus Christ, I won't do such a thing!"

"Right, sorry, I still have faith in you." Dad muttered, sighing tiredly. "So, you sure there's nothing going on?"

"A hundred percent sure. She's just a friend." I stated, leaning on the tree. "…maybe more."

"Huh?"

"Nothing, forget it." I waved my hand, dismissing the previous thought.

Dad stared at me suspiciously, before deciding to let it slip. He shrugged his shoulders and continued smoking his half-done cigar. I looked up to the sky, seeing the dark voids with stars scattered around.

I wonder what the hell I am feeling right now. It involves a certain airheaded girl for some reason, and it's getting a bit annoying. It feels like a new sensation, I've never felt it before. It's like a new seed being planted in an empty farmland, growing slowly but surely.

What the hell is wrong with me?

* * *

><p><strong>Untold Story #12: Behind the Curtains<strong>

The place was getting dark as the moon started to rise. I walked on the empty streets, doing my job as a guardian for Hirasawa-san on her way home. She was walking idly beside me, staring into the streets with a blank expression.

"Is there something on your mind, Hirasawa-san?" I asked out of curiosity.

"Eh? Oh, nothing, I was just thinking of the previous event…"

Ah, yes, the return of Yamamoto-san's father. It was really surprising to see a man who was supposed to be dead appearing in front of us just like that.

"What do you think of him, Tanigawa-kun?" she asked me.

"It's too vague to tell, as of now. But I have a feeling that he's the polar opposite of his son." I answered.

"It's bothering me a bit… I'm thinking that he might be blocking my way to… you know…"

"I'd say it's highly unlikely. Like I've said before, it's too vague to tell, but I have one theory in mind." I said, smiling a bit.

"And that is?"

"For quite some time now, the others have been saying that Yamamoto-san is in denial." I began. "If that really were the case, I don't think it would take a lot of effort to make him realize his feelings towards you. So I've come up with a theory of my own, which I will – regrettably, keep to myself."

"Boo, you're no fun, Tanigawa-kun!" Hirasawa-san pouted.

I chuckled a bit. "Forgive me, Hirasawa-san. I need to prove its validity before sharing it, I suppose it would be better that way than giving you false hope."

Hirasawa-san gave up after a few seconds of persuasion. I kept my smile as I saw her pouting all the way home.

This theory… I wonder if it's true. His father's appearance could help me. I suppose it is time to do some research. It'll take time and patience, but I'm sure it'll bear a fruit.

I wonder…

* * *

><p><strong>Author's note: Moved the replies here, to avoid ruining the heat of the moment.<strong>

**Fenichi: Heh, I assure you, he will be useful to the plot. And yes, the chapters are getting shorter as of late, I need to write more, yet avoiding redundancy and risk to bore the readers. For updates, I'd say one chapter per three days at best. But then again, I'm not really sure, it's up to the mood, I suppose.**

**Psihopatul: Ha ha! Surprise! Thank you, and Happy New Year to you, too!**

**Truner: You're on! And Hiromi is actually pretty stupid when it comes to girls, I think it's pretty obvious in the previous 60+ chapters. So yeah, he's just gullible.**

* * *

><p><strong>A chat session with Truner made me realize that I've been posting 'thick' chapters, which is really isn't pleasing to read if not in the mood. The next two chapters will be much lighter, I'll try my best to make it like the actual show, light and fun.<strong>


	68. Cool Runnings

**Author's note: Well, this took longer than expected. I blame Arkham Asylum!**

**Fenichi: Heh, a bit mysterious, isn't he? Well, I don't think he'd be that important for the plot. Technically, he is, but not in an 'epic' way. We'll see.**

**And regarding a Yui's POV, I'm interested in it. But I'm not sure if I can pull it off. Yui's a simpleton, she'd disable me from using fancy words and phrases. Again, we'll see...**

**Truner: Well, replying to you seems a bit redundant here, we talked on Skype most of the time. Just enjoy that Indonesian song I gave you :D**

**zeromiku: Do you, now? Hah, we'll see! You'll need to wait, though, a barrage of fillers are on the way!**

* * *

><p>"A what, now?"<p>

The students went to an abrupt silence after the class supervisor announced an event that would occur in the morrow, save Tainaka who had spoke her heart out.

"Um, a 5000 meters marathon." Manabe repeated.

The class' reaction ranged from excitement, despair, to loss of sanity. In the midst of chaos, I saw Yuuki pumping his fist, while Tanigawa kept his smile. The girls were pretty much horrified, save Kathy who was as excited as a squirrel. Kyon looked like he was reluctant to participate, while the eccentric, yellow-ribboned girl behind him smiled mischievously for some unknown reason.

"5000 meters! We're gonna die!" Tainaka dramatically exclaimed.

"Don't worry, Ricchan! We'll make it together!" Yui comforted her friend, grabbing her hands.

"Hey, Kathy! You up for a race?" Yuuki shouted to the blonde.

"You're on!" Kathy replied.

"A 5 kilometers marathon… I don't know if I can make it…" Akiyama muttered, hanging her head.

"I'm sure you'll do fine. There are a few tricks in long-distance running, I can teach you if you want." Tanigawa patted his girlfriend's back, smiling lightly.

"Well, I suppose I'm quite ready for it. What about you, Nagato-san?"Koizumi asked the silent bookworm.

"I am well-prepared." Nagato replied with her usual expressionless tone.

I feel like we're in the brink of Armageddon. The reactions are over-exaggerated, and I think I saw a guy banging his head on the table repeatedly. It's just a marathon, no one's gonna die. Well, unless they got run over by a car, but I suppose that is highly unlikely.

The bell rang, initiating the crestfallen students to participate in their respective club activities. We went on our way to the old school building with the SOS Brigade as usual.

"The school festival's close, but this… monstrous event is bugging me." Tainaka sparked a conversation between us.

"Act fresh, Tainaka! You're still young!" Yuuki pointed his index finger to the president.

We all are. Doesn't mean we should be high-spirited all the time, I don't think I'd enjoy seeing someone acting hyper all day.

"Pst, hey, Mugi…" I heard Suzumiya calling out to the keyboardist behind me.

I tried to listen in to their conversation. Much to my dismay, not a single word reached my ears. They were whispering, keeping their plans to themselves.

As Suzumiya was done, Kotobuki nodded her head in approval, her gentle smile still planted on her face. The eccentric girl had her earlier expression intact – a mischievous smile, telling me she was scheming something.

Unnerving. Suzumiya's plans are bad enough, but with Kotobuki joining in? I think the victim would rather be fighting a dragon bare-handed.

I just hope that 'victim' isn't me.

After the usual club activities, we went on our way home with the marathon implanted on our brains. As usual, we went separate ways after a bit of walking. With Tanigawa heading over to his girlfriend's house, I went through the rather quiet streets on my own, accompanied by the setting sun in front of me.

Opening the front door of the Yamamoto residence, I kicked off my shoes and headed upstairs. It was quiet, I heard only clicking sounds coming from my room.

I was greeted by the sight of my father, innocently sitting there using my computer as I walked into my room.

"The hell are you doing?" I asked, throwing my bag to my desk.

"Looking for porn." He stated without turning his head.

Sighing tiredly, I took my blazer off. "I have none – no time for that." I said.

"That's why I'm worried. The lack of porn in your computer leads to an assumption that you're actually gay."

How logical.

"Found a few pictures. Your friends are cute." He said, opening up a picture of the Light Music Club and the SOS Brigade during the summer break.

"You really need to stop invading someone's privacy." I stated, standing tall behind him.

"I may look a bit unfaithful for doing this, but really, I'm just worried. We haven't met for 5 years, and I really want to know everything about my son."

"Fair enough." I let out yet again another sigh.

"So who are they?" Dad asked, gesturing towards the screen.

I explained everything to him. Starting from their names, personality, abilities, relationship status, basically anything that he wanted to know. It was a bit awkward, but Dad seemed to be having fun knowing the ones who I held dear in detail.

We spent the rest of the day just like any normal household. Well, not really. What we did was turning up the volume and played a few rounds of Mercenaries.

The next day, we prepared ourselves for the event. Most of North High's students were packed tightly in the fields, each of them wore the school's gym clothes. Just like the day before, few students were excited, while the others feebly accepted their fates. It was a bit windy, yet nowhere near freezing. It was the perfect temperature for a little workout.

The freshmen and the juniors were already on their way, leaving only the seniors to get ready for the event. It was a few minutes to the start, so I took my time in analyzing my surroundings.

People with different characters and personalities, not to say of their statuses, all in one place. This place called 'school' is surely amazing. One can only wonder why many youngsters today really despise school. It's a perfect place for learning and socializing, not to mention live test subjects for those who are interested in psychology. Kids today are staring directly at the dark side of things, and refuse to change angles.

"Hey, Yamamoto, up for a race?"

I turned my head towards the voice. Suzumiya stood there beside me, a catlike smile on her face.

"In my dictionary, marathon is classified as an endurance test, not a race." I stated.

"Come on, you have to think out of the box from time to time! Your life will be boring if you kept following the rules!"

"Answer's still no. I'll end up wasting my breath."

Suzumiya placed a hand under her chin, closing her eyes as she went into deep thought. In a few seconds, she opened her eyes and raised her head to me, showing her evil smile yet again.

"Y'know, the brigade hasn't been doing well since Mikuru-chan left. The mascot is a crucial thing to have, you know. So how about this…" she crossed her arms, walking around me like a mafia boss. "If I win, Yui-chan will be the brigade mascot for three days."

"Yui has nothing to do with this." I firmly said.

"Hold it, I'm not done talking yet." The brigade leader interrupted. "If you win, I'll do anything you want for three days. So, what say you?"

"Slavery isn't quite my thing, I'll pass."

She gave me a fierce glare, then stormed off to God-knows-where.

Bets, huh? Didn't really like it, especially when there's another person involved. If I lost, Yui would probably suffer in the hands of the ruthless leader of the SOS Brigade. And if I won, I probably wouldn't enjoy giving orders to someone – a girl, no less.

As I was spacing out, I saw Suzumiya walking back to me. This time, she looked a lot more confident.

"Change of plans. If you win, I'll buy Yui-chan a few musical equipments. If you lose, you'll do anything I asked you to, for three days."

I don't quite see the logic here. Win or lose, I won't gain anything. What kind of bet is that?

Though my mind is screaming 'no', a part of me wanted to take the bet. If I win, Yui will be really delighted. If I lose, I'll take the punishment – harming no one in the process. Sure, it'll be a pain in my part, but I don't know if Yui's happiness is worth the trouble.

**Ready!**

"The clock's ticking, Yamamoto." Suzumiya taunted.

**Set!**

"Damn…"

**GO!**

The gun was fired, and the cry of hundreds of students echoed across the sky. In a split second, they headed towards the school gate, ready to face the endurance test. I kept my pace slow to conserve energy, while Suzumiya ran backwards, facing me with a smirk.

"Time's up! The bet is on, Yamamoto! See you at the finish line!"

"Wait!"

Without another word exchanged, Suzumiya turned her back and bolted away from my sight. A couple of students were confused as they saw a flash of yellow ribbons passed by them in a blink of an eye.

"Damn it!" I grunted, increasing my speed.

No turning back now, I need to win this race!

I made it out of the school grounds after passing by a few people. As I took a turn, I saw Suzumiya descending the hill in full speed. Locking my sight at her, I dashed off without thinking of another thing.

"Hiromi-kun, wait up!" I heard a voice behind me.

Sorry, Yui. You can't stop me now, this battle must be won!

After managing to descend the hill without tripping, I finally caught up with my opponent.

"You really think you can defeat me, Yamamoto?" Suzumiya taunted. She turned her head to me, revealing that annoying smirk she had.

"I'll win this, no matter what!" I butted back.

"Hah! We'll see!"

It was then she further increased her speed. It would be wise to compare her to a professional athlete – her stamina was practically infinite.

Now that I think about it, the chances of me winning are pretty slim. Suzumiya is an energetic girl, she barely stood still in one place. Now I may be a bit trained in terms of endurance, but my lungs are pretty much screwed. 40 packs a month could effortlessly decrease my performance in all activities. That said, I have only willpower, and a bit of luck on my side.

"Yo, working hard?"

I turned my head to see Yuuki, smirking at me.

"Yuuki, I thought you were with Kathy." I said, looking around for a certain blonde.

"Well, about that…"

"TANAKAAAA!"

We simultaneously turned our heads back. Like a raging bull, Kathy charged towards us, fuming with anger.

"Uh oh." Yuuki increased his speed, not wanting the angered American to butcher him.

"What happened?" I asked, keeping up with his speed.

"I kinda took her hairband and threw it away when the race starts. Guess I was wrong when I thought that could give me an advantage."

"Sucks to be wrong."

"GET YOUR ASS IN HERE, TANAKA! I VOWED REVENGE!"

"I don't think that is a bluff." I stated, turning my head back yet again. Kathy was still trying to catch up with us.

"No. That, Hiromi, is pure rage." Yuuki muttered, a drop of sweat rolled down his cheek. "By the way, I thought I saw Suzumiya in front of us before. Where is she now?"

I jolted my head forwards, trying to spot my opponent. Surely enough, I failed to see the yellow ribbons.

"Balls…" I muttered. "Gotta catch up with her. Try not to get yourself killed." I said, increasing my speed even further.

"Psh, you suck at motivating people." Yuuki replied.

Though the windy weather helped me in my journey, the sun was still a bit annoying. I don't think I'll ever get along with it, even in the fall season, it's still a problem for me.

I managed to catch up with Suzumiya after stepping on the gas a bit. We kept a close distance for a few meters. Entering the shopping district, we gained strange looks from the pedestrians. They were probably confused at the sight of two students treating a marathon as a race. We passed by a few juniors on our way, one of them was Nakano's friend, didn't quite remember her name – someone with brown hair, tied up to two short tails.

After approximately 2000 meters of running, we slowed down a bit. Suzumiya's smirk was no longer there. She was starting to get tired, by the looks of it. Though I was a bit pleased that my opponent showed signs of weariness, I couldn't deny that I, too, was beginning to get a bit fatigued.

"5000 meters' tougher than you think, eh Suzumiya?" I mocked, trying to control my breath.

"Not really!" she retorted in between her tired panting.

"We both know you're not a good liar! Give up now, you're merely delaying the inevitable!"

"Like hell I will!"

Apparently, taunting wasn't a good idea. The wrath produced in Suzumiya's brain gave her fuel, which she used effectively. As if pushed by God's hands, she flew away like lightning, increasing the distance between us in a matter of seconds. I didn't have the time to grieve over my previous action. Instead, I made an attempt to cure it.

Well, the only way is to keep running like a madman. I don't think throwing things at my opponent to slow her down would be quite fair.

Yet again passing by a few juniors and freshmen, we made it to the checkpoint. A few of them regained their stamina by consuming the energy drink provided by the teacher. Nakano and Yui's little sister were there, waving their hands as they saw us. Though a bit tempting, my opponent showed no intentions of taking a break. Having no other choice, I passed the checkpoint with no regrets.

I was able to catch up with her, eventually. But something made us stop on our tracks as we made a turn. It was something enormous, generated naturally when the world was still in chaos, and perfected by the hands of men. Something that spelled doom for most of North High's students, including a certain cynical friend of mine. Suzumiya and I stood in front of it, looking up at its glorious height as we caught our breaths.

The Steep Hill of Death.

"I was too excited, I forgot that we need to climb back up to reach the finish line." Suzumiya stated, panting heavily.

"Yeah, me too." I agreed, wiping the sweat off my eyebrow.

"So… you ready for this?" Turning her head to me, Suzumiya showed an excited smile.

"When you are."

"And here… we… " she took a step back. "GO!"

We ran up the hill side by side. My legs were dying, but the adrenaline kept me going. It was unpleasant, pushing my body to the limit. But that was the feeling that made me feel truly alive, like I was driving in a velocity of 300km/h. I could feel the flames inside of me burning intensely, fueling me with infinite spirit.

"YAAAARRGGHHHH!" We let out a cry in unison, barely keeping our sanity intact. I felt as if I had lost the ability to think clearly, losing every single sense I had.

This… is fun!

As we were on top of the hill, we quickly made our way to the school grounds. I could see a few teachers waiting for us at the finish line, a look of surprise on each of their faces. Though we did our best, we weren't able to increase or decrease the distance between us.

Just a little more… come on, don't die on me, dear legs of mine!

With the teachers cheering for both of us, and the sounds of their clapping hands as our fuel, we took our few final steps towards the finish line. One last simultaneous step, and both of our feet crossed the line in unison. After it was all over, I immediately collapsed on the ground, feeling the dirt on my back. Suzumiya followed suit, she was practically half-dead as she tried to catch her breath.

"A draw, huh? Pity." I muttered.

"Yeah, too bad." Came Suzumiya's short reply.

"But you have my thanks. That was fun."

"Yep, we should do it again."

Silence fell upon us as we stared at the shining sun above us. It was then someone blocked our view.

"Good job, you two." A woman's voice spoke as her shadowed face looked down on us.

"Not wanting to sound disrespectful, but could you get out of my sight, Sensei? I fear this might be my last time seeing the shining sun." I said, not really thinking of the words that came out of my mouth.

"Psh, you young'uns are pretty weak. Come on, get your asses up!" Yamanaka-sensei yanked our arms, forcing us to sit straight up.

"Aah, I'm way too tired, Sawa-chan." Suzumiya whined, her legs shaking as she stood up.

"Grab a cup of oshiruko from that table, that should freshen you up." Sensei pointed at the said table. It was full of paper cups filled with oshiruko, ready to be consumed.

"I don't think anything could replenish my stamina right now." I muttered, walking towards the table with Suzumiya by my side. "Maybe a smoke…"

"Hush, you don't want the other teachers to hear that." Sensei interrupted.

I don't care, I can't think of a single thing right now.

After a few minutes of resting our legs, we finally functioned like a normal human being yet again. What amazed me was the fact that there was not a single student that appeared after us. Took me a while to realize that we were literally as fast as thunderbolts.

"You put up one hell of a fight." Suzumiya sparked a conversation as I stared off into space.

"Don't know why, it felt like I was possessed." I replied.

"It's obviously because of the bet. You really want to make her happy, huh?" The brigade leader leaned closer to me, showing her annoying smirk.

"No, I just wanted to beat you in something."

"Tch, whatever."

Yamanaka-sensei walked towards us with her phone open in her hand. She was a bit confused and worried for some reason.

"It's your father, Yamamoto-kun." She said, handing me the phone.

What the hell did he want?

I took the phone and pressed it against my ear.

"What is it?" I asked.

"You done running, Hiromi?" came the reply from the other side.

"Yeah, what's wrong?"

"I got bored waiting for a game's installation, so I decided to take a peek at the event. I think I've noticed someone missing."

"What? Give me the details." I demanded.

"Well, I could recognize most of your friends. Kathy MacFarlane and Tanaka Yuuki were racing with each other. Behind them, with a slower pace, were Kyon, Koizumi Itsuki, Tanigawa Kaito and Nagato Yuki. Far behind, practically walking, Kotobuki Tsumugi, Tainaka Ritsu and Akiyama Mio. Noticed anything off?"

"Yui…" I muttered. "There's no way those three left her behind, it would take a great amount of rage to do that. Report on microexpressions analysis?"

"Nay, found no trace of wrath. Based on their expressions, I'd conclude that they're oblivious of the missing person."

Oblivious… of course, that might be the case.

"COA **(1)** is up to you, but I'll try to get into this. I'll contact you through this number if I found something. I'm at the park, by the way, so she might've disappeared before the checkpoint."

"Alright. Thanks, Dad." I said, hanging up.

"What happened?" Suzumiya asked, a serious look on her face.

"Yui's missing." I answered shortly.

"What! How did that happen?"

"My conclusion is that she was with Kotobuki, Tainaka and Akiyama, but got separated without those three knowing."

Damn it, what happened to her? Distraction, maybe? The shopping district is full of bakeries, boutiques, and not to mention the music store. If that were the case, I think those three would notice Yui stopping and getting entranced. No, it must be something else…

I don't even want to think about it, but it's a possibility that she was… kidnapped.

No… no, that's the last thing I want to think of.

But what if it's true? I can't deny that it has a small chance of happening. Why would they snatch a schoolgirl in broad daylight? Is it ransom? Or something more… immoral?

I was starting to get edgy. My body tensed, sweat poured down my forehead and my hands trembled. I could feel the massive storm of speculations inside my head screaming at me as my sanity drained in every second.

Just as I was about to break down, I felt a hand placed on my shoulder.

Suzumiya gave me a stern, yet understanding look. Though her face showed a bit of worry, her eyes were burning with determination.

"Calm down, you need to focus. Let's search for her when you're ready." She said.

I stared at her for a few seconds. After managing to get a hold of my bearings, I nodded slowly, taking a deep breath. With a single exhale, the previous tension was released, vanished without a trace.

"Let's go."

We dashed out of the school with great haste. Yamanaka-sensei shouted at me, demanding to give her phone back. I ignored the request and continued on my way with Suzumiya.

"Where should we start?" she asked as we descended the hill.

"We need to trace back the route a bit, figure out the point where she disappeared."

"We should take the shortcut, then."

"No, I'm planning to get more info. If we backtrack on our route, we should meet up with her little sister. She's the one who knows Yui the most, the chance of finding the missing person will increase if we have her on our side." I explained, taking a turn towards the road to the first checkpoint.

"Got it, let's hurry!"

After a few minutes of running, Yui's litte sister entered my sight. She was jovially jogging beside Nakano, unaware of the dangers her sister might be in.

"Yamamoto-senpai, what are you doing here?" She asked, stopping on her tracks.

"I've just received a report that Yui's missing. Have you seen her?" I asked, panting heavily.

"What! No, I'm afraid I haven't seen her." Little Sister's face turned into one of worry.

"Balls…" I muttered.

"I'll report to a teacher right away!" Nakano exclaimed in panic, scurrying away towards the checkpoint.

"Do you have any idea where she might be? I know she could be distracted by pretty much anything, but I don't think it's enough to actually make the others not notice." I asked.

"Hmm, let's see…"

Just as Little Sister was trying to deduce her sister's disappearance, Sensei's phone rang. I quickly answered it, expecting some answers from my father.

"Found something?" I asked.

"Quite. I went home to get my mask, and I think I've found something interesting. A yellow hairpin, just sitting there on the ground. I've seen it before in that picture yesterday, I suppose this belongs to the missing person?"

"Affirmative. Any other clue?"

"Analysis from the Shadow Mask's IR **(2)** mode showed that there are two set of footprints. One is, I'm positive, Yui's. The other one is a bit vague, but the small feet suggest that it's a female. From the range between the prints, I'd say that she's short. Well, that would mean it's a kid, or an elderly person. Or just someone really short. I'm not saying dwarves, but short, nonetheless."

"Any signs of struggle?" I demanded for more details.

"Negative. They're walking side by side, and I don't think she would be fooled by candies and puppies. Criminal act is out of the question."

"Can you track them?"

"Hah, easily. I'll find them in a sec- Oh, crap." I heard a few noises coming from the other side of the line.

"What's wrong?"

"Cops. You know they're a bit touchy when it comes to people wearing masks, especially a steel one – not to mention awesome-looking. Gotta skedaddle, you'll need to take over from here. Based on the footprints, they're heading towards Residential Area II."

"Residential Area II, got it."

"Talos preserve you."

Dad's research helps a lot here. It narrowed the possibilities down a notch. Hairpin on the ground… no way she would drop it on purpose. How did her hairpin ended up there? Obviously, it's unintentional. No way in hell in just came off when she's running.

Accident. That must be it. If she fell face first into the ground, the impact should be enough to kick a hairpin away. I just hope she's alright. Dad didn't report any sighting of blood trails, so I suppose she's well. I'm not 100% sure of this deduction, but it has the highest probability, based on the facts and evidence.

"Yui tripped, and got help from someone." I said, gaining Little Sister's attention. "Female, short. Possibly an elderly person, or a child. She lives in Residential Area II. Got any leads?"

"Ah! It must be Granny!" the little sister exclaimed. "Granny lives near us, we met her every morning on our way to school."

"I'm going to need the exact address."

Little Sister gave me the address, the worried look on her face was no longer seen. I, too, had calmed down at that point. My sanity recovered, and my mind cleared. Had Suzumiya not comforted me before, I'd probably go insane.

"Alright, I'll head there. You coming?" I said, getting ready to give my legs another round of exercise.

"No, I'm sure she will be fine as long as you're there."

"What do you mean?"

"Ah, nevermind. Well then, I'll leave my sister to your care, Yamamoto-senpai."

"Got it." I said, turning my back. "Good luck on the marathon, I'll make sure your sister's safe."

"Okay. Thank you, Yamamoto-senpai!"

Suzumiya and I headed towards the address Little Sister gave us. The sun was getting a bit stronger, but that didn't stop us from completing our mission.

"Are you alright now, Yamamoto?" Suzumiya asked me as she kept her speed balanced.

"Yeah… Thanks for that." I replied.

"What happened to you, anyway?"

"Who knows… I guess I'm just a really negative thinker when something happens to my friends." I stated.

"I can understand that, but you were literally trembling in fear back there. That's not like you at all."

"One of these days, I'm going to find out what did that. I believe sooner or later, I'll learn of it."

Suzumiya chuckled a bit. "I guess you will." She said.

We arrived at Granny's house after a few minutes of running. Without much of a delay, I pressed the doorbell. The front door of the house creaked open, revealing the owner. She fitted the description Dad had made – short and elderly. Within a few seconds, a familiar figure appeared behind the old lady.

"Hiromi-kun, Haru-chan, what are you doing here?"

Yui stood there, surprised at our sudden appearance. She innocently walked over to us, oblivious of the worry she had produced on my mind.

Now, I don't really know what possessed me, but I have the sudden urge to embrace her tightly. It feels like I've been separated with her for a very long time.

I made an attempt to fight back that urge. Much to my dismay, that attempt was a feeble one. My body gave in to my mind's demands. I walked over to her and wrapped my arms around her, ignoring the surprised gasp she let out.

"Wh-what's wrong, Hiromi-kun?"

I let go of my grip, feeling my face heating up.

"N-nothing… just relieved to see you well." I muttered, looking away.

I could hear a groan coming from my six. "That was lame." Suzumiya said in a low voice.

Whatever…

"More importantly, are you injured?" I asked, inspecting Yui for injury.

"It's nothing serious, I only skinned my knee." She rolled up her gym pants, showing me her bandage-covered knee.

"You sure? You're not feeling woozy or anything?"

"I'm sure." Yui giggled lightly. "You're so funny, Hiromi-kun."

"What do you mean, 'funny'?"

"You seem to be really worried. It's not like you at all!"

Of course I'm worried! Suddenly disappearing like that, it makes me speculate many unwanted things, you know.

"At least you're safe and well now." I turned to the old woman beside me, bowing a bit. "I'm sorry for the trouble. Thank you for taking care of her." I said.

"Ah, it's fine. I've been taking care of Yui-chan ever since she was a child. I suppose I shouldn't be worried now she has a boyfriend to look after her."

"Uh, no, you're mistaken. I am not her boyfriend." I stated, frowning at the old lady.

"Ah, don't be shy, young man. I've seen too much love back in my days, and I can tell that you both are lovers." Granny said confidently.

Hate to break it to you, lady, but you're wrong. Ah, well, no use arguing with an elderly person. I'll let it slip for now, but if I'm psychotic enough, I'd probably chuck a grenade to her house.

"Yui!"

From the distance, I saw three figures closing in to our position. It was Tainaka, Akiyama and Kotobuki. They let out a sigh of relief as they saw their friend unharmed.

"Thank goodness you're alright. You disappeared all of a sudden!" Tainaka exclaimed.

Yui laughed nervously, rubbing her head. "Sorry, I had a little accident."

"Yamamoto was really scared as he heard the news. Hah, that was priceless!"

Goddamnit, Suzumiya!

"I wasn't scared, I was worried." I butted back.

"Same difference."

A small giggle escaped Yui's lips. "I'm sorry I've made you worried, Hiromi-kun. It won't happen again!" she said, tapping my shoulder.

Well, it's not exactly your fault. Part of it is the other three's, they kept going without even noticing a person missing from their group. But I guess that's alright. No use blaming people for an accident, what's important now is that Yui's safe and sound.

All is good like a chicken wing.

Or whatever that American phrase is.

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><p><strong>(1) COA: Course of Action<br>(2) IR: Infrared**

**Figured I'd add these numbers for... I don't know, knowledge? It looks awesome.**

**Remember when I said I'll write 'lighter' chapters? Yeah, that'd be the next one. I think I can pull it off. Maybe.**


	69. A Day in the Life

**Author's note: I am NOT dead yet! (cue 'Still Alive' from Portal)**

**I owe you guys an apology. So what happened was that I decided to take a break without letting you know (only Truner know of this). I was feeling pretty melancholic for some reason, and I decided to just... forget about things and have fun. I even made a short Harvest Moon one-shot for a good refreshment. It worked quite well, even though this chapter got delayed for A MONTH.**

**So yes, I'm sorry for my absence. I'm pretty sure the next chapter will be up in 3-6 days if I don't slack around.**

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><p><strong>Truner: Damn it, you made me realize that I've been writing Harunyan waaay out of character. I shall make an attempt to fix this.<strong>

**glf1997: It's great to hear you liking the race. It seems my idea worked pretty well. Thank you for the review!**

**Fenichi: Haha, actually, Haruhi wasn't really sure on what she wanted. One side, she wants to win, because of her pride and all that. On the other side, she wants Hiromi to make Yui happy. The result? Draw! Nothing gained and nothing lost.**

**And yeah, I guess Yui's POV is a risk I have to take. There would be only two end results: good or bad. But I guess I'll save it for later - the climax!**

**Psihopatul: Glad I could be of assistance! And thank you for the support, keep on writing!**

**MagusXIV: Hello, thank you for reviewing! Yes, I, too have the same habit as yours. I tend to not pay attention to the author, and yes, it's a hard habit to break.**

**Yeah, I always enjoy cocky characters. Ever since MGS1's Solid Snake, it kinda grew on me. Then I saw Dante. THEN I saw Kyon. So, sarcastic and cocky with a good logical mindset, that is how Hiromi was created.**

**And don't apologize for not knowing that I disliked yuri. I don't control you, I don't control anyone. I only have control over my smokes and my six-stringed companion.**

**Also, as requested, I've updated my Photobucket album. I hope that sketch is good enough for you, though that drawing is a failed attempt at making a Metal Gear-esque art style.**

**Stan: Again with the details! Thank you very much for that! I really appreciate your effort in spotting those little bits, so thank you. Thank you very much.**

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><p><strong>OKAY. So this chapter is meant to be light-hearted and fun. It is also a good chance for me to try out interactions between various characters. All in all, it's a very fun chapter to write. Here goes...<strong>

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><p><em>Dovahkiin, Dovahkiin<br>Naal ok zin los vahrin  
>Wah dein fookul mahfaeraak ahst val<br>Ahrk fin norok paal graan  
>Fod nust hon zindro zaan<br>Dovahkiin fah hin kogaan mu draal!_

The main theme played as an ancient dragon landed beside Dad's character in Skyrim. With a maniacal laugh, he ended the beast's life with his Daedric sword.

"Hah! Worthless cretin. I don't think anyone or anything could defeat me in this state. I mean, just look at that! A few strikes and the son of a gun dies!"

I ignored his boasting and kept watching, admiring the glorious moment of the dragon's death.

It was a peaceful Saturday morning, a perfect day to relax and let go of all things stressful. 'Tis a day that everybody loves, ranging from kids to office workers. I'm a part of the majority. I feel really thankful that I'm spared from the death-inducing lessons in the weekends. Though people's way of relaxing varies, I suppose my method of clearing out the dark clouds in my mind is through gaming.

I could feel my phone vibrating beside me. The ringing sound was suppressed by the sound effects from the TV. The small screen on my phone told me that the caller was Kyon. I went outside towards the backyard to prevent the loud noises from disturbing our conversation.

"Hello?"

"Ah, Yamamoto, you have some free time?" came Kyon's voice from the other side of the line.

"Yeah, what's up?"

"Haruhi just called. Said she wanted to go out, y'know, the usual two-clubs gathering. You coming?"

I took a glance at the clock nearby. It was 9.00 AM.

"Got nothing else to do, anyway. Where?" I asked.

"In front of the station, as usual."

"When?"

"Now."

I scoffed, feeling stupid for asking an unneeded question.

"Always charging at her own pace, eh? I refuse to think that this event is well-planned." I said.

I could hear Kyon chuckling a bit. "Yeah, I guess it's all spontaneous. Well then, I'll see you at the station."

"Right, thanks for informing me. I'll notify Tanigawa immediately."

"Got it."

Kyon then hung up. Just as I was about to walk towards Tanigawa's house, the gentleman entered my sight, smiling brightly as he appeared from his back door.

"Good morning, Yamamoto-san." He greeted.

"Speak of the devil. Are you free today?" I asked.

"As a bird. May I know why you are asking?"

"Suzumiya told us to meet up in front of the station. It's the usual weekend club gathering. You should get ready, she's probably at the station as we speak."

"Very well. I'll meet you up front."

We went inside our respective homes. I took my wallet and cigs from the table, not forgetting to announce my leave-taking to my father.

"Dad, I'm going out!" I said in a loud voice, suppressing the sounds of clashing swords.

"Got it! Keep your eyes on the sky!" he shouted back.

I opened the front door, greeting the chilly fall breeze that blew through my body. The sun was shining brightly, making the temperature a good mix of hot and cold. I saw Tanigawa smiling at me as I turned to the left. He wore a light brown jacket to prevent the wind from directly stabbing his body.

"I cannot deny that I am a bit weak in cold temperatures. You don't seem to have any problem at all, Yamamoto-san." He sparked a conversation as we walked through the streets.

"I'm always the 'cold air' kind of guy. That's why I'm not really in good terms with the summer season." I replied.

"Ah, yes, I remember that. You were practically tortured in the previous summer break." Tanigawa chuckled a bit. "You might say I'm a bit weird for saying this, but I can't wait for winter to come."

You just said that you don't fare well in cold temperatures, now you're saying you can't wait for winter. I fail to see the logic here.

"Why is that?" I decided to ask.

"Because the weather will be cold enough for me to wear my coat." He turned his head to me with a smile. For a while, I thought I saw a few stars sparkling around his face.

I scoffed at his reasoning. "How romantic." I muttered sarcastically.

"Well, as silly as it may sound, you probably have that same feeling inside you, Yamamoto-san. Don't you want to wear that scarf Hirasawa-san gave to you?"

"I wear what's necessary for the temperature and event. Feelings have nothing to do with my attire."

"To each his own, I suppose."

Arriving at the front of the station, we saw Suzumiya excitedly waiting for her dear friends. Nagato was there, remaining stationary beside her leader. Akiyama, Kotobuki and Koizumi were also present, each had a look that could only be described as 'joyful'.

Like usual, the station was a bit crowded. It wasn't really ideal for a meeting point, but since it was located at the center of the town, Suzumiya decided that this place would be best as a standard location to meet up.

"Yo." I greeted them all.

"Good morning, Yamamoto-san, Tanigawa-san." Koizumi replied, keeping his smile intact.

Akiyama gave her boyfriend a light peck on the cheek, to which the gentleman responded with a soft, happy laugh, followed with a hug.

Well, I'm quite alright with the Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy atmosphere and all, but I think this is too much. If this world were a video game, the camera should pan up to the sky and the credits will roll.

"So what's the plan? Splitting up looking for mysterious things?" I asked the brigade leader.

"Nah, it would be better if we stick together, don't you think?" she replied, showing her catlike smile.

"I guess so."

"And I'm not planning a mystery search today. Since the festival is near, I figured you guys would appreciate a little break to relief your minds of tension and such."

I scoffed, smiling at the kind intentions she had. "I don't really need it, but the others would really appreciate the gesture. You're doing a nice thing… for once."

"What do you mean, 'for once'? I always do nice things!" Suzumiya punched me on the shoulder, her face showing what Kyon would refer as 'a million-watt smile'.

Not long after, Yui and Tainaka showed up. Behind them were Yuuki, Nakano and Kathy. As usual, they were certainly in good mood. Their happy faces clearly reflected the state of their minds. Untroubled and relaxed, just the way youths should live their lives.

"Good morning, everyone!" Yui cheerfully greeted.

"Good morning, Yui-chan." Kotobuki replied.

"Y'know, Suzumiya, next time you're planning something, tell us beforehand. I really don't want to wake up with you shouting on the phone. I think my left ear died this morning." Yuuki stated, sighing tiredly.

"It's your fault for not waking up early!" Suzumiya pointed her index finger at Yuuki. "Azusa-chan, don't you think your boyfriend is a bit lazy for a high school student? You might want to teach him a few lessons." She quickly turned to Nakano with a mischievous smile on her face.

"Haruhi-senpai is right! You're too lazy, Yuuki-senpai! You need to get up early, even in the weekends!" Nakano said to her boyfriend like a teacher scolding her student.

"Really? Using Azusa to attack me? That was cheap, Suzumiya!" Yuuki protested, trying to fend off the barrage of complaints from his girlfriend.

"Hah! I didn't do anything, Azusa-chan is simply speaking out the truth." Giving Yuuki a victorious smile, Suzumiya walked away.

Stay classy, Suzumiya.

"Kyon is late again." I stated, scanning the crowded place for a certain cynic.

"He's always late." Koizumi said, crossing his arms. "It's been three years now, and his routine of being late seems to go on unscathed."

"Two years and five months." Nagato corrected with her somewhat robotic voice. "His percentage of being late is 100%."

You should be a math teacher, Nagato.

"One can only conclude that he has some kind of curse in his blood." I muttered. "I mean, I don't think he's that slow, what is the cause of his lateness?"

Koizumi let out a soft laugh that could make teenage girls squeal in glee. "I know not of that. I suppose it's a reason he didn't want us to know. I propose to not talk about this in his presence, what say you?"

"It will not be spoken. Private matters aren't meant to be pried." I agreed, nodding my head.

"Actually, I saw him not being late once." A voice chirped behind me.

What now, Tainaka, have you learned the art of Ninjutsu from Kotobuki? I didn't hear your footsteps a single bit.

"Really, now? Do tell." Koizumi was interested.

"It was a long time ago… first year, maybe." Tainaka placed her index finger on her chin as she tried to remember the event. "One of those 'mystery search', you guys weren't there."

"Ah, yes, Nagato-san, Asahina-san and I didn't participate once." The brigade's Vice Chief spoke.

"Well, I was just walking around town, got nothing else to do. I saw Kyon, in this exact spot I'm standing, just staring off to the distance, waiting for someone." The club president continued. "I asked what he was doing, said he was waiting for Haruhi."

"Interesting…" Koizumi muttered.

"As I left, I saw Haruhi walking up to him. So I followed them."

I might want to question her course of action, but I think I'd do the same if I were her. Stalking someone is always fun, let alone two people.

"They went to a café. I think they had a fight or something. Haruhi stormed out of the place, looking annoyed. It was then I decided to skedaddle, thought I was interfering with their personal affairs a bit too much."

Well, at least you stopped.

"So, what, a lover's quarrel?" Kathy popped out of nowhere, her face showing great interest.

"They were not dating." I stated, initiating my first facepalm for the day.

"That's what you see with your naked eyes, Yamamoto." Inching closer to my position, Kathy gave me a psychotic look. "What if they were going out, and that was the time where they had enough of each other? What if, behind our backs, they were actually kissing and holding hands? Or worse, what if Haruhi is actually preg-"

"Are you on drugs, Kathy?" I interrupted her, raising an eyebrow at her ridiculous speculations.

"Nah, I just got interested in mystery novels recently." She calmly said, taking a step back while regaining her usual cheerful face.

Goddamnit, I thought I lost you for a while there.

"Ah, Kyon! You're late!"

Speak of the devil.

We turned our heads towards the direction of Suzumiya's pointing. Kyon jogged towards us, his face showed an expression that could be easily described as 'misery'.

"Penalty!"

With only a shout of a word and a lift of a finger, Kyon's punishment came into effect. No words were spoken as he feebly accepted his grueling fate. My feeling of sympathy towards him was as strong as the others. We decided to pay for our own drinks behind Suzumiya's back. The man accepted the gesture, his face lighting up a bit.

Hell, if he were to pay for all of our drinks, I don't think he'd be able to eat for a few days. Worst case scenario would be his mom stabbing him with a goddamn kitchen knife. I'd rather prevent that from happening. Like they said, prevention is always better than cure.

"Hey, Haruhi, which café are we going to?" Tainaka asked the brigade leader.

"Castanet Café, obviously!" Suzumiya replied with confidence.

"Awesome! I can't wait to meet up with Chihaya!"

"It must be hard, not being able to meet him in regular school days." Kotobuki stated, her gentle smile unscathed.

"Yeah, I'm suffering everyday! You guys should be thankful, meeting your partner each and every day. In the same class, no less." Tainaka swept her right arm, gesturing to the girls.

"Sucks to be you. If you love him that much, why don't you drop out of high school and work at his café?" Yuuki suggested.

"Hmm…"

No, don't take him seriously, Tainaka. Your IQ must be buried under the sand if you ever take Yuuki seriously.

"You're graduating in a few months, Ritsu-senpai. I don't think it would be a good idea if you drop out now, I'd rather wait if I were you." Nakano objected her boyfriend's suggestion.

"Yes, I agree with Nakano-san." Koizumi nodded his head. "Well, I cannot speak on behalf of the many students scattered across Japan, but in my opinion, the main point of going to school isn't to gather knowledge. I simply dedicate myself to aim for a thing that only the school can provide."

"Certificate of Graduation. Your life's pretty much screwed without it." I stated, jumping in to the conversation.

"Correct. Even if your smarts are superior, it won't be functional if you don't have proof written on paper. Now Tainaka-san, if you abandon your status as a student, it would be pretty much a waste. Climbing a mountain is hard and slow, but it only takes one mistake to fall down."

"Hmm, good point." Tainaka muttered.

I hate the fact that papers control everything, but that's just how it goes. It's being used all around the world, and people live with it. Well, ain't no use worrying about things I can't change.

"So that is the main point of going to school…" Yui piped in.

"From my eyes, that is. I believe we all have different views." Koizumi chuckled a bit, turning his head to Yui. "What about you, Hirasawa-san? What drives you into going to school everyday?"

Yui let out a soft, sweet laugh – as if mocking Koizumi's question. "That's an easy question, Koizumi-kun!" she said, showing her cheerful face.

I raised an eyebrow at her. Confusion and a bit of curiosity ran through my mind. Koizumi mimicked my expression. He tilted his head, waiting for the answer.

"Friends! I'm always eager to meet you guys! Relaxing with Houkago Tea Time, playing with the SOS Brigade, I don't think there's anything more fun than that!"

I widened my eyes in surprise. It was then I remembered who had spoken.

Yui is always an innocent girl. No matter where and when, she would never see the dark side of things. She sees only the light in front of her, ignoring the pitch black shadow pooling behind her. This is one thing I always admire from her. How such a person can be oblivious of the shadows is beyond me. Everywhere I look, I will always see the darkness. I will speculate worst-case scenarios each time I'm presented in a situation – whether it's life-threatening or not. But Yui, she'd shrug off all of that, and say 'don't worry' with that cheerful smile of hers.

And that, is what I always like from her.

I smiled widely as the others let out a light chuckle. Taking a step forward, I placed my hand on top of her head, looking straight at her big, brown eyes.

"Don't ever change, Yui." I said, ruffling her hair.

Yui looked back at me, showing her sweet smile. I could see her blushing a bit for some reason. Nevertheless, she nodded her head and gave me a definitive answer.

"I won't, Hiromi-kun!"

With that, we continued on our way with no words exchanged between us. Though silence fell upon us, our smiles were an indicator that we needn't any sound. It was as if everyone just got a ray of light shining on them, cleansing their hearts of dark and stressing thoughts.

I can't deny that I, too, am getting a bit tranquil. I feel lighter, like I could do anything. I could face the strongest foes, race the toughest marathons, make the impossible possible.

Just what kind of sorcery did you use, Yui?

"Alright, we're here!"

Suzumiya's announcement initiated us to enter the building. As usual, the place was quiet. A faint sound of blues music was heard as walked past the robotic cashier. We took two tables due to the excessive amount of people.

The kitchen door creaked open, revealing the one and only peach-haired, tall, lanky man. His trademark bobby pins were still there, holding his messy hair in place.

"Chihaya! I miss you sooo much!" Tainaka jumped towards the chef, giving him what they would call 'a bear hug'.

I still don't get why they would call it 'bear hug'. Wouldn't you be pretty much dead if you were hugged by a bear? And I don't think bears would want to hug you – they just want to whack your goddamn face.

"You're acting like we haven't met for years." Chihaya sighed, patting his girlfriend's head.

"A week feels like a year if I'm not with you, Chihaya!"

Reminds me of a song from Andy Williams. Which one was that… 'Tonight'?

"Alright, enough with the drama, I'm getting thirsty here." Yuuki commented, I could hear the annoyance in his tone of voice.

"Pft, you're just jealous." The chef said as Tainaka released her grip. "Alright, orders!"

We ordered our drinks. The girls were pretty much just like any ordinary highschool student—they ordered sweet, icy drinks. Koizumi, Tanigawa and I went for a coffee, while Yuuki and Kyon got their interests in a good old iced Cappuccino. With swift movements, Chihaya disappeared to the kitchen, ready to make the drinks.

"So, does anybody have a good plan for today?"

I knew it.

Kyon and I facepalmed simultaneously. The action was in perfect harmony, as if we planned it before.

I guess I'll call this… The Tactical Facepalm.

"So you're gathering all of us together without a plan kept in your mind." I stated, sighing tiredly. "You never change, Suzumiya."

"How about going to the movies?" Tainaka suggested, raising her hand.

"I don't see anything interesting playing right now, so that's a no go." Suzumiya denied the suggestion.

"Hmm, what should we do, then…"

The fall season really isn't the time to do much activity. It's what people said as a 'lazy' season, where you would spend most of your time at home. Just like the majority of the population, I prefer playing games in this season.

"If you're looking for some old fashioned high school entertainment…" Chihaya appeared from the kitchen, carrying the first batch of drinks. It seemed our conversation reached his ears. "…there's a karaoke nearby, if you're interested."

"Karaoke, huh?" Suzumiya placed a hand on her chin.

"I'd say that is quite a good idea." Koizumi agreed, nodding his head.

I concur. While not everybody can sing, it is a good activity to reduce stress. It'll release most of your problems and worries regardless of the quality of your voice.

"So, karaoke for the day. Who agrees?" Suzumiya announced, raising her hand.

"Aye." Tainaka raised her hand.

"I'd love to sing." Kotobuki agreed.

"Count me in!" Yuuki pointed upwards.

"I'll do whatever." Kyon said, shrugging his shoulders.

"What Kyon said." I stated.

"I, as well." Tanigawa chirped.

"I want to sing!" Yui exclaimed.

"Singing's not my cup of tea, but I guess it's worth a shot." Kathy chuckled.

Nagato simply nodded her head.

"Uh… I don't know if I want to…" Akiyama muttered, her face starting to grow red.

"Why not? I'd love to hear your voice, Mio-san." Tanigawa said to his girlfriend, showing his pretty boy smile.

Needless to say, Akiyama's doubt was no more. As soon as she heard her boyfriend's request, she nodded her head, agreeing to join us.

"Alright, I'll do it!" she said.

Well, that's Tanigawa to you. Born with a handsome face and a magnificent charisma, he could persuade any living women of all age. In Skyrim's terms, he has a pretty high Speech skill. I'd love to have that trait, but I prefer intimidation rather than persuasion. Speechcraft really isn't my thing.

"It's decided, we're going to sing our hearts out today!" Suzumiya yet again announced loudly. "Then, what about nighttime?"

"We could focus on more important things. Like sleeping. I'd love to sleep at night." I stated as I received my cup of coffee from Chihaya. The chef chuckled as he placed the steaming drink in front of me.

Suzumiya's eyebrows bent down, she glared at me like I was a man who had killed her parents.

"It's Saturday, Yamamoto! You're not supposed to sleep early on Saturday nights!"

I'm inferior to you in terms of stamina, I don't think I'd be able to endure long nights.

"I don't know why, I have the sudden urge to watch fireworks." Suzumiya stated, still scowling.

"Fireworks outside of summertime?" Chihaya piped in, taking a seat next to his girlfriend. "From now on, I shall address you as the person who defies logic, Suzumiya."

"Not really. Fireworks at summertime is just a tradition. It's okay to light it at other times, as long as the environment isn't hazardous. I believe 'the person who defies tradition' is more appropriate." I corrected the chef.

"Hmm, good point." He muttered. "But who would sell fireworks at this time of the year?"

"We still have leftovers from summer." Kotobuki raised her hand, her face still showing her trademark gentle smile. "I can contact my butler to deliver it to us tonight, if you want."

Damn bourgeois, you have anything at any time, don't you?

"That would be great, Mugi!" The brigade leader gave the blonde a thumbs-up. "So we're going to the karaoke at noon, then fireworks at night. Any objections?" She asked, an excited look on her face.

Nil.

"Alright, we're off to the karaoke at 12. Get ready to let your voice out!"

And with that, our day started.

"There has been a murder, Yamamoto-kun."

I turned my head towards Kotobuki, who was sitting next to me. She looked at me with a serious face, her eyebrows bent down for once.

"What are you talking about?" I asked, getting a bit creeped out at the sudden dark topic Kotobuki decided to choose.

"Three young women died, the last one was found at the cemetery. A serial killer is on the loose." She stated.

"Where does this take place?" I yet again asked, getting a bit suspicious.

"In Windhelm."

"Ah, Blood on the Ice. Damn that quest." I stated, crossing my arms. "It's pretty buggy, consider yourself lucky if you were able to complete it."

"Is that so? I suppose I should look it up on the internet." Kotobuki placed the tip of her finger on her chin.

"Y'know, I was listening and got interested, only to find out you're talking about a video game." Kathy sighed tiredly, shaking her head. "Please don't do that."

Your fault for eavesdropping.

I took a sip of my coffee, feeling the warmth spread all over my body. Goddamn, Chihaya's coffee is the best. A cup of this, accompanied by a pack of Dji Sam Soe **(1)**, and I'll be a happy man for the rest of my life.

"Uh… Kyon?" I heard Kathy spoke.

I turned my head to the aforementioned person. He was staring at someone across the table, his empty eyes locked at a certain pair of yellow ribbons. Turning my head to the left, I saw Suzumiya chatting jovially with Yui, her smile never once faded.

"We've lost him." Yuuki said.

"Oi, snap out of it." Kathy snapped her finger in front of the cynic's face.

"Huh? What?" Kyon regained consciousness after blinking a few times.

"I've heard a myth somewhere that if you daydream, a ghost will be able to easily posses you." The blonde stated. "Not that I believed it, but really, what's gotten into you? You looked like you were pretty deep in thought."

"I, uh… I was just thinking about the… entrance exam."

"Psh, yeah, right." Yuuki scoffed.

Though his statement may be true, the stuttering and facial expression overrides it. Doesn't take a genius to know that he's lying.

"Suzumiya-san, isn't it?"

The one who hit the nail on the head was Koizumi. With his hand propping his chin, he mustered a bright, albeit annoying smile.

Kyon remained silent, his frown getting deeper.

"Oooh, the flowers have bloomed inside Kyon's heart." Kathy teased, snickering alongside Kotobuki.

I don't think I'd want flowers to grow inside my heart. Not even doctors could cure that.

"You got it all wrong." The man sighed. "I'm just amazed at how much she's changed."

"Can't agree more." I stated, taking another sip of my coffee. "Though her basic personality remains unchanged."

"It's in her blood. I don't think anything could change that." Kyon replied.

"It's not a bad thing, really." Kathy commented. "It's always nice to have someone so high-spirited."

"So high-spirited that all of her actions are classified as reckless."

"That's where you come in." The blonde snapped her fingers. "So that's why everyone agrees that you two will make a good couple. She's far too hyper, and you're far too skeptical."

"Yeah, your kid will have a good balance of both traits." Yuuki nodded his head.

Too far, Yuuki. Too far.

"I'm not interested in this 'love' thingy." Kyon stated bluntly.

"Or you are." Kathy butted back. "You just don't know it yet."

The cynic's reply was nonverbal. He glared at the smirking American, though not quite effective. Realizing that the act was futile, he sighed in defeat, hanging his head.

"Never mind a battle with Kathy, you'll never win." I said to Kyon.

"Lesson learned." He replied.

Suzumiya clapped her hands together, gaining our attention.

"Alright, it's time to go!"

I took a glance at the clock. The short hand pointed to 11, while the long 12. It amazed me how she managed to be precisely on time. Most people would get carried away, chatting and rambling with their friends.

"Are you going with us, Chihaya?" Tainaka asked her boyfriend.

"Sorry, got a café to look after." He replied, waving his hand.

"This crappy place? Hah, come on, this place would do fine with rats taking care of it." Kathy scoffed.

"Remember when this place almost got robbed in broad daylight? Yeah, the place is that fancy." Chihaya butted back.

"Well then, I'll see you around, Chihaya." Suzumiya waved her hand goodbye, initiating the others to stand up from their seats.

"Yeah, have a good time."

"I'll see you next week, honey!" Tainaka gave the chef a peck on the cheek.

And with that, we were off.

We walked towards the building Chihaya had told us. The streets were getting a bit crowded, packed with people like us – trying to enjoy the day off.

"Hm?"

Suzumiya stopped on her tracks, her eyes focused on something from the stores. I turned my head towards the possible point of interest to find a clothing store, with a huge sign behind the glass panes.

_Get ready for winter! All winter clothing 50% off!_

Blatant lies. Before you apply the discount, you raised the price up a notch. Marketing is pretty tricky at times, you'd need quite the intelligence to avoid getting caught in their webs.

"Let's check it out!" Suzumiya commanded, heading inside the shop.

Women.

We were greeted by the sight of well-lined clothing to our left and right. Starting from t-shirts to business pants, the store had quite the complete collection.

"There's the winter clothing section! Come on!"

Like fishes that had been thrown a line, the girls ran up towards the said location. We men remained stationary as I let out a tired sigh. Though most of the girls were gone, Kathy, Tainaka and Nagato stayed behind

"They don't even need new clothing. Why would they get excited by a stupid sale?" I asked nobody in particular.

"Because women." Yuuki answered with a straight face.

"Sexist." Kathy hissed.

I heard a chuckle escaping Tanigawa's lips. The gentleman crossed his arms as his face showed a bright smile.

"I suppose it would be best to look at the mirror before questioning their actions." He began, locking his sight at the excited girls. "While their behaviors might be rather confusing to us, it is to be noted that from their point of view, our doings could also puzzle their minds. And, though rarely, enrage them."

Hmm, he has a good point.

"Let's take a bad trait for example. What is the most common flaw men in general have?" Tanigawa asked.

"Reckless?" Yuuki spoke.

"Very good. Men tend to get reckless at times." Tanigawa turned to me. "I will use you as an example, Yamamoto-san. Remember the night where Kotobuki-san got kidnapped?"

"I remember." I replied.

"That night, I'm pretty sure you weren't thinking things out thoroughly."

"Correct. I was practically blinded, enraged."

"Now, I want you to imagine what Hirasawa-san would say if she knew what you were thinking."

What would she say? Hmm, seeing it's Yui we're talking about… probably worried. I remember at the hospital, she was the one who waited for me for three straight days. This clearly shows her character, giving me quite an easy answer.

"Yeah, she would be worried, alright." I muttered.

"Exactly. This proves that even if we sometimes think that the female gender is… excuse me, illogical at times, we, as men, also have our flaws." Tanigawa finished his speech, chuckling lightly. "Everything has its ups and downs."

Except bacon.

"Well spoken, Tanigawa." Kathy clapped her hands, her face showing satisfaction. "You excel at being an open-minded man."

"Yeah, no wonder Mio fell in love with you. You deserved it." Tainaka commented.

That's somewhat irrelevant, but yes, he does deserve a fair, well-mannered lady. Heh, God works in mysterious ways.

"Hey, Kyon! Come here for a sec!" I heard Suzumiya's voice booming from the sea of clothes.

"What the hell did she want?" Kyon muttered, reluctantly shifting his legs towards the voice.

"Well, rather than standing idly, why don't we have a look around, Nagato-san?" Koizumi turned his head towards the petite girl, offering his hand.

Nagato simply nodded and took Koizumi's hand. In a matter of seconds, they disappeared.

"I need to use the bathroom." Kathy announced.

"I'll go with you." Tainaka followed the blonde.

"I'm gonna check on Azusa, she might have something cute to show me!" Yuuki ran towards the girls, his face showed extreme excitement.

Silence fell upon us as Tanigawa and I stood still near the front door. My companion was still showing his smiling face as he had his arms crossed. Like a hawk he observed the others, keeping a good eye on their surroundings. I wondered if he had something on his mind, or just merely trying to keep his friends away from possible dangers that might lurk beneath the line of clothing.

"Two little soldier boys, standing on the porch.**(2)**" I muttered, breaking the silence.

"One went to his lover, and then there was one." Tanigawa responded, smiling as he walked over to his girlfriend.

One little soldier boy, left all alone.

He went for a smoke, and then there were none.

Chilly fall breeze greeted me as I opened the glass door leading outside. I took a look around for a good spot to smoke without disturbing my surroundings. I found a bench on a corner, far from people who passed by the streets. Without further ado, I made my way there.

Lighting up a cigarette, I leaned back on the bench and focused on the streets.

People passed by, each had a different look on their faces. Though most of them showed true happiness as they strolled through the district with their partner, there were also a few long faces. Expressions that showed one's dismay of life.

And these faces belong to the men and women with no one by their side.

"There you are, Yamamoto-kun."

I turned my head towards the voice. Kotobuki stood there, showing an angelic smile that could melt a man's heart in an instant. She took a seat beside me right after I put out my smoke to avoid harming her lungs.

"You're not browsing with the others?" I asked.

"No, I still have a few coats I can use." She replied.

Of course you do.

"Say, Kotobuki…"

"Yes?"

"Do you feel… incomplete without a partner?" I turned my head to her, giving a serious look.

"'Partner'?"

"As in… y'know."

"Ah, _that_ kind of partner." The blonde nodded her head understandingly. "Well, for me, I am content enough just by seeing the others happy with their couple."

"I've been watching people going by for quite a while. A quick observation shows that the majority of people who walk alone have an expression of sorrow on their faces. As if they're down on their luck, and their lives ain't worth a dime."

"An observation of others won't do you any good. It's easy to find the answer, Yamamoto-kun." Kotobuki moved closer to me. She raised her hand, slowly moving it towards me until the tip of her index finger connected with my chest. "It lies here, in your heart. What do you think about yourself? Are you happy? Do you think you are currently living a perfect student life?"

Am I happy? Without a brain cell wasted to think about it, the answer is obvious. I am. But years of puzzle-solving and logical thinking tells me that there is more to it. 'I am' isn't a valid answer – no, it is a valid answer, but not good enough. There's a missing detail, a lost screw. I am happy, I have sweet, caring friends, I have fortune, I have a family. There is a 'but' somewhere in there, and I can't figure out where.

"I see you're having a hard time answering the questions." Kotobuki interrupted my train of thoughts. She leaned back on the bench, letting out a sigh through her nose. "The answer is 'yes, I am happy, but there is something that makes me feel incomplete'."

"Incomplete…" I muttered, my sight locked at my shoes.

"That's right, your puzzle of life is missing a single piece. I believe you could guess what this 'piece' is."

"But is it really that important? Enough to make one's life feel incomplete?"

"Well, like I've said before, it depends on the character." Kotobuki let out a feminine giggle, her hand covering her mouth."I know what you're thinking, Yamamoto-kun."

"Read my mind, then." I challenged her.

"You think you're tough, your heart is made of metal, you don't need any feelings."

Damn it. Always ahead of me, eh, Kotobuki?

"I'd like to show you something. Take a look behind us." Kotobuki gestured me to turn my back.

I did as I was told. Behind the glass panes, I saw Koizumi and Nagato browsing some clothes. The former showed great joy in his eyes, while the latter kept her emotionless face intact. They were a bit far from the others, a few line of clothes separated them.

"What about them?" I asked, getting a bit confused.

"Observe closely, Yamamoto-kun." Kotobuki replied.

I squinted a bit, trying to get a closer look. At first, I focused on Koizumi. Much to my dismay, I found nothing. But as I moved on to analyzing his companion, I found it, the thing that Kotobuki wanted to show me.

Nagato's face was lacking an expression in just a glance, but a closer look proved otherwise. Her eyes shone like polished gems, giving enough spark to acknowledge that she was, in fact, feeling something inside her. Something ran inside her heart, something warm, and calming.

Though the eyes gave me much knowledge of her feelings, her lips gave me more. It was slightly curled up, only a few millimeters. It would take the eyes of a hawk to notice, but I saw it.

Nagato was… smiling.

"Impossible…" I muttered under my breath, my eyes wide and my mouth agape.

"Apparently, it's not." Kotobuki began, narrowing her eyes as her smile widened. "Love makes the impossible possible. Yuki-chan smiling… who would've thought?"

"Unbelievable. This is just… preposterous."

"Well, Yamamoto-kun, was that enough proof for you?"

I turned my head to Kotobuki. She showed me a soft smile, a really comforting expression. As her eyes met mine, I was ready to give an answer.

"I-"

"Ah, there you are, Yamamoto!"

Without us noticing, Suzumiya stood there with a catlike grin on her face. Before I could register what was happening, my arm was pulled by a massive strength from her right arm.

"What are you-"

"I have something to show you!" she exclaimed, dragging me into the store.

As we were inside, she yanked my arm and threw me forwards, giving me a split second to regain my balance. Fortunately, I was able to prevent my face from being introduced to the floor. My eyes landed on a brown pair of boots, which belonged to a certain airhead.

As I raised my head, though, a wondrous sight greeted me.

Yui stood there, a simple, light purple coat covered her body nicely. It went down to her knees, covering half of her light blue jeans. Wrapped around her neck was a yellow scarf, a color that matched her trademark hairpins. She had her head turned away, and her face was red in embarrassment, though she took constant glances at me every now and then.

My expression ranged from surprise to astonishment as my heart skipped a beat. Standing in front of me was a sight equal to an oasis on the Sahara desert, a full moon on a starless night, a shining treasure in the depths of a sunken ship. It took my breath away, and I couldn't take my eyes off the marvelous spectacle.

"I-it's no use, Haru-chan, Hiromi-kun isn't interested." Yui stuttered, beginning to take unbutton the coat.

"W-wait!"

Time seemed to freeze as all heads turned to me. I swore under my breath as I realized that my reflex decided to act before my brain.

"I, uh-" I cleared my throat. "How much does it costs? If it's reasonable enough, you should buy it."

"Let's not worry about the price, Yamamoto." Suzumiya came into view, her index finger pointing at Yui. "First things first, what do you think of Yui-chan's outfit?"

"Uh…"

I turned my head around to see smirks and smug smiles. Damn you all, damn you to hell!

"She looks…" I hung my head, my face starting to heat up. "…cute."

"I didn't quite catch that last part." Suzumiya leaned closer to me, the expression on her face reflected a victorious feeling of satisfaction.

"I said it fits her well." I stated boldly, glaring at the yellow ribbons.

"That's not what I heard."

"Then you need a goddamn hearing aid."

"D-does it really look good on me, Hiromi-kun?" Yui spoke, walking closer to me. Her face was still red, her eyes shifting around.

N-no, don't make that face, Yui! I'm going to lose my sanity if you keep that up!

"I-it does…" I muttered, turning my head away, my expression unknown.

So I can't look directly at her, or else my sanity will slowly drain. Great, I feel like I'm playing 'Amnesia'.

"Alright, then, it's decided!" Suzumiya clapped her hands together. "C'mon, Yui-chan, let's get to the cashier!"

With that, the two left. I let out a tired sigh as my senses started to function normally yet again. Damn it, I've never, in my life, get so disorientated by fashion before. This is just utterly embarrassing.

"I'm pretty sure that was a kick in the stomach to your pride." Yuuki appeared behind me, tapping my shoulder.

"A hard one, yeah." I stated, shaking my head.

"Well, better get ready, waves of them kicks are coming."

Screw it. I won't be able to handle another strike like that.

Done with the purchase, the two came back with Yui carrying a bag containing her new clothes.

"Alright, let's get going!" Suzumiya exclaimed, initiating us to move out from the store.

Yui looked like she could explode with happiness anytime soon. She jovially walked beside me, swinging the paper bag back and forth as she hummed a happy song.

"Let me carry that for you." I said, gesturing towards the bag.

"I'm fine, Hiromi-kun!" She replied, still smiling.

What is it with women and refusing a helping hand nowadays? I know that bag isn't heavy at all, but if one of your hands is occupied, that would be quite a bother in doing any activity.

"Just let me carry it." I stated, snatching the bag from her hand.

"Whoa, Yamamoto, that isn't gentlemanly at all." Tainaka's voice rang behind me.

"Couldn't care less." I said, turning my head around. "I just hate it when someone refused a helping hand."

"So you're pissed when you don't have to get through the trouble of helping someone." Kathy stated, crossing her arms. "Your way of thinking confuse the hell out of me sometimes."

It does. It always does.

We continued on our way to the karaoke building. As no words were exchanged, I felt something grabbing my right arm.

Of course, it was none other than Yui, hugging my free arm with a smile planted on her face.

I decided to not speak of the questionable act she did. I was getting used to physical contact with this peculiar girl.

But no matter how much I got used to it, I couldn't shake the weird feeling that kept bugging my mind. I could feel the warmth of her body spreading through my right arm, and her chest was…

No, stay focused. Do not get distracted.

Unfortunately, it isn't that easy to keep a straight mind when there are people giggling and snickering around you. Damn you all, damn you all to hell!

We reached our destination after a short time of walking. I let out a sigh of relief as Yui released her grip on my arm.

And yet, something inside of me sparked a feeling of disappointment.

Conditioned air blew through us as we entered the building. Suzumiya reserved a karaoke box for a few hours, giving time for at least a few songs to be sung.

"Alright, we're going to room 3. Let's go!"

And so, we were on our way.

The place wasn't too shabby, it was a bit bright, with neon signs here and there. Well-lit and comfortable enough for a few young'uns to have fun. I heard a few muffled singing sounds as we passed by the rooms, most of them were elderly voices. I concluded that those people were families, spending the weekend by singing their hearts out.

"Here it is."

We stood before a door with an iron sign that read '3' hung on it. Without another delay, Suzumiya opened the door, going in with the rest of us following behind her.

The room was quite spacious, it was obviously designed for group gatherings. On my left, there was a leather couch, shaped like an 'U' with a huge table between it. Menus and songbooks were stacked tidily on the wooden table, ready to be used by the customers. Turning my attention to the right, there stood the karaoke machine and a few wireless microphones, each with an iron stand. There was an empty space, probably for performing stage acts as we sang.

"I've never stepped on a karaoke building before." I stated as I turned my head around, observing the place.

"Nether have I." Kyon spoke, mimicking my action.

"Psh, what unfortunate souls you both are." Kathy mocked, her face showing fake sympathy.

Whatever…

I walked around the room, inspecting the karaoke machine along with the mics as the others took their time in choosing a song. In a matter of seconds, Kathy walked up to the machine and pressed a few buttons.

"Decided on a song yet?" I asked.

"Yep! A classic, you're gonna like it." She said, confidence planted on her face.

"Good. Let's see what you've got."

I walked over to the table, taking a seat beside Yui. She was busy browsing the songbook with the others. I kept my eyes on Kathy, who confidently nodded her head as the countdown started.

_Stop! In the name of love  
>Before you break my heart<em>

Ah, Stop In The Name of Love, the original version, no less. A great song. Kathy is wise to pick this one, but is she capable of matching the original voice? I guess I'll know soon.

_Baby, baby  
>I'm aware of where you go<br>Each time you leave my door  
>I watch you walk down the street<br>Knowing your other love you'll meet_

She's no Diana Ross, but her voice is strong enough. It gives a new, unique ring to the song. Unoriginal, but good, nonetheless.

_But this time before you run to her_  
><em>Leaving me alone and hurt<em>  
><em>After I been good to you...<em>  
><em>After I been sweet to you...<em>

"Kathy-chan sure can sing." Yui stated, clapping her hands along with the beat.

"Yeah, this is actually the first time I've heard her sing. Didn't expect it to be this good." I replied.

_Stop! In the name of love  
>Before you break my heart<br>Stop! In the name of love  
>Before you break my heart<br>Think it over  
>Think it over<em>

As the song ended, the others gave a round of applause. Kathy bowed graciously, shining like a superstar.

"Great job, Kathy-senpai!" Nakano commented, her hands still clapping.

"Thanks, Azusa! So, who's next?" Kathy took a seat, turning her head around, seeking the next challenger.

Crickets.

"Looks like nobody's decided on a song." Yuuki spoke, getting up from his seat. "Well then, I'll give it a go."

"What are you gonna sing?" Tainaka asked.

"Eh, something you'll all remember." He replied, pressing a few buttons on the machine.

"Another classic, I presume." Koizumi chirped.

"Yeah, but I guess you all will recognize this one. Whoop, it's starting."

Surely enough, as the guitar-filled intro played, I quickly recognized the song. The others cheered, giving Yuuki a great spirit boost.

"SAINT SEIYAAAA!" He shouted at the top of his lungs.

Just how old are you?

_The cosmos of the heart embraced  
>Burn it high and make a miracle happen<br>We have to be wounded  
>The faraway galaxy we promised to each other<em>

Well, Yuuki has a strong voice, I see no problem in him singing anything. But this song is really fitting for this kind of voice. Sounds kinda like Robert Plant singing it. No, that's disturbing, Robert Plant singing Pegasus Fantasy is just wrong.

_Pegasus Fantasy!  
>Yes, only dreams are the wings of the heart that no one can steal.<em>

Yuuki directed the mic to us.

**SAINT SEIYA!**

_Young boys are all…_

**SAINT SEIYA!**

…_the great men of tomorrow. Ooh yeah!_

**SAINT SEIYA!**

_Like the Pegasus…_

**SAINT SEIYA!**

…_flap your wings now!_

The group cheered, clapping their hands as Yuuki laughed with triumph. I don't think these thick walls would be enough to prevent the noise we make from reaching outside. I'm sorry, other customers.

I opened the songbook as the song continued. Skimming through it, I found many local songs that I didn't know. I moved on to the 'Western' part, expecting a few good songs available. I wasn't disappointed. There were many old songs, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Beatles, even Andy Williams.

"They don't have 'Still Alive'."

I turned my head to Kotobuki, who showed a bit of disappointment on her face, a songbook open in her hands.

"Well, what did you expect?" I replied.

"Ah, but they have 'Snake Eater'!"

"What!"

I flipped through the pages to search for that particular song. Much to my surprise, I found it after a few seconds.

_Snake Eater by Cynthia Harrell_

"Son of a…" I muttered.

"I'm guessing the owner of this place is a huge fan of the Metal Gear series. Look, there's also 'Calling to the Night'." Kotobuki held the songbook upright, pointing her finger at the said song.

"So what are you singing?"

"I'll try 'Snake Eater'. I've been wanting to sing it for quite some time."

I'll look forward to it.

Another round of applause was deployed after the song ended. Yuuki pumped his fist in success, skipping his way back to us with joy.

"Azusa, you should go next!" he exclaimed, cheering for his girlfriend.

"E-eh, I don't know if I should…" Nakano stuttered.

"Go ahead, Azusa-chan! We'd love to hear your voice!" Suzumiya piped in, she stood up and pushed the twin ponytailed girl towards the machine.

"But-" As she stood in front of the machine, Nakano let out a tired sigh. "Fine." She muttered, browsing through the songlist.

"Good job, Suzumiya." Yuuki whispered, giving the yellow ribbons a thumbs-up.

"I've been wanting to hear Azunyan sing for a while now." Yui stated, her face showing excitement.

Suddenly, the strumming of an acoustic guitar was heard. It didn't take a second to realize what song Nakano planned to sing.

"Just like a year ago…" I muttered, chuckling a bit.

_Even if there are days when the tears roll down my cheeks__  
>I want to have your back all for myself<em>

_But because kindness is also cruel sometimes__  
>I lose sight of the answer the more I search for it<em>

"Oh, that's so sweet, Azusa…" Akiyama beamed at the petite girl.

"If memory serves, this song is quite… sacred for you both, am I correct?" Tanigawa turned to Yuuki.

"Yeah." Yuuki chuckled, smiling lightly. "That was the day I've found true happiness. The day where blue turns to gold." He narrowed his eyes, showing a soft, calm expression.

"Ah, I see. I apologize, I will ask no more questions. You need to relish this short moment of delight."

_If you can see the rainbow in the town after the rain__  
>let's start walking now, something is about to begin<em>

The sight I witnessed was truly a marvelous one. Nakano's eyes shone brightly as she took constant glances at Yuuki. The motion she made was smooth, like slowly falling petals of a flower, her long hair fluttered with velvet animation.

_Because I have you, because I have tomorrow__  
>because I can't live on all alone<em>_  
>I feel you so close by me, I guess that's love<em>_  
>Because you know how much pain tears can bring<em>_  
>I want to find a smile in your transparent eyes<em>_  
>as I search for a definite meaning in them<em>

As the song ended, I turned my head to the others. The girls were practically hypnotized – their visions sucked in at the breathtaking spectacle. Kyon had his eyes wide, while Koizumi and Tanigawa kept their smiles intact.

"Umm…" Nakano was a bit puzzled.

"I guess no words are necessary." Yuuki broke the silence, standing up and slowly walking towards his girlfriend.

Whatever intentions he had in his mind, they were thwarted as the girls suddenly stood up and leaped at Nakano. The twin-tailed girl fell down as Yui, Tainaka, Akiyama, Kotobuki and Suzumiya collided with her.

"That was awesome, Azunyan!" Yui exclaimed, wrapping her arms tightly around the kohai.

"And cute!" Suzumiya added, rubbing her cheek against Nakano's.

"Hey, come on! That was supposed to be a romantic moment between the two of us!" Yuuki protested, throwing his arms in disbelief.

"I can't breathe!" I heard a Nakano's voice beneath the pile of girls.

I simply shook my head and sighed at the chaos. I moved myself near Kyon, trying to get a conversation going between us to tune out the noise.

"What are you gonna sing?" I asked.

"No idea. I can't even sing." He replied, shrugging.

"Figures…" I muttered.

"Since there are a lot of boys here, may I suggest a good song that we could pull together?" Tanigawa piped in, flipping through the pages of the songbook.

"What's on your mind?"

"Here, 'Ashita Ga Aru Sa' (There's Always Tomorrow)."

"Ah, I've heard that song once, on TV." Kyon nodded his head. "Pretty catchy, and I guess I can pull that one off."

"I like the song. Count me in." I agreed.

"I, too, will join in." Koizumi raised his hand.

"I'll sing Hanako's part!" Kathy piped in.

"How about Tanaka-san, then?" Tanigawa turned his head towards the chaos that was still going.

"Pretty sure he'll jump in later. Don't worry." I said.

"Very well. Ready yourselves, I'll start the song." The gentleman stood up from his seat, heading towards the machine.

The girls were oblivious of Tanigawa's actions. All of a sudden, the song's intro started, gaining the others' attention.

_I always see her at the same train station  
>The girl with the sailor uniform and braids in her hair<br>It's almost time…  
>It's almost time…<br>But today, I wait again in vain_

_There's always tomorrow  
>There's always tomorrow<br>There's always tomorrow!_

We quickly made our way to the stage, grabbing a mic for each of us. Kyon started the second verse, while we stood by.

_She's soaked in the rain so I thought I might wait and ask her  
>to join me under my umbrella<br>I'll ask her…  
>I'll ask her…<br>But I just wait in silence_

_There's always tomorrow  
>There's always tomorrow<br>There's always tomorrow!_

Kyon signaled Koizumi to sing, to which he responded with a nod. The girls were back on their seats, intently watching us.

_On the bus during our next class trip  
>I got to sit next to her, but<br>I couldn't do anything  
>I couldn't do anything<br>So I just pretended to be asleep_

_There's always tomorrow  
>There's always tomorrow<br>There's always tomorrow!_

It was Kathy's turn to sing. She moved forwards, striking a pose to gain a few cheers from the girls.

_I always see him at the same train station  
>That shy guy with the buttoned up collar<br>He's not here today  
>He's not here today<br>I wonder if he has a cold?_

_There's always tomorrow  
>There's always tomorrow<br>There's always tomorrow!_

Kathy gestured Yuuki to join. He excitedly walked up to the stage, grabbing a mic of his own. This time, we sang together.

_I'm waiting for her, today will be the day!  
>I follow and watch her from behind<br>Just to that corner!  
>Just to that corner!<br>But once again, I give up…_

_There's always tomorrow  
>There's always tomorrow<br>There's always tomorrow!_

Kyon and I moved forwards, ready for a duet.

_Today, at the fried noodles stand  
>I was surprised when someone spoke to me<br>That girl is here!  
>That girl is here!<br>I stealthily ran away…_

_There's always tomorrow  
>There's always tomorrow<br>There's always tomorrow!_

Yuuki jumped forwards, his face showed excitement to the fullest as he started singing his verse.

_When she's holding her racket  
>It makes me want to play doubles with her<br>Maybe I'll join the club…  
>Maybe I'll join the club…<br>But I'm already in the Light Music Club!_

The others laughed as they heard the altered lyrics.

_There's always tomorrow  
>There's always tomorrow<br>There's always tomorrow!_

We all took a step forward, ready to sing the last verse. We linked our arms together, moving left and right along with the beat.

_There's always tomorrow, yes, tomorrow will come  
>I'm young and I have dreams<br>One day, I'm sure…  
>One day, I'm sure…<br>She'll understand!_

_There's always tomorrow  
>There's always tomorrow<br>There's always tomorrow!_

We ended the song with a bow. The girls gave a great round of applause, some whistled. I suppose it was safe to say that our reimagining of RE:JAPAN was a success.

"That was a great one! You're all pretty cool!" Yui stood up, clapping her hands excitedly.

"Well, it seems our show is a resounding success. Thank you for joining in, everyone." Tanigawa bowed a bit to us, showing his gratitude.

"Yeah, now my throat's dry as hell. Should we take a break?" Yuuki suggested.

"Alright, break time it is. Let's order some drinks!" Suzumiya announced, flipping open the menu.

And so, tea time started. It reminded me of the ordinary days in the clubroom, where we would do nothing and just… ramble around. Nothing to bother us, having small talks and learning new, little things every day with Suzumiya's muffled shouting faintly heard across the room.

I raised my head, shifting my eyes around me. To my left, Yui and Suzumiya had small talks, two cups of tea in front of them. Kotobuki, Tainaka, Kathy, Nakano and Akiyama rambled on with the topic being something about girls and weight problems. Koizumi, Yuuki, and Tanigawa sat across me, Nagato beside them, listening closely to their conversation.

"Sometimes, you just wish that things would go on forever like this."

I shifted my eyes to the right. Kyon sat there, his arms crossed. His lips curled upwards a bit, his eyes narrowed.

"Is it a bad thing, though?" I asked.

"To some extent, it is. You'll be running in circles, and never move forward." He stated. "Things come and things go."

"The fool will deny the end, and the wise will accept a new beginning. So let the past days remain as a memory, for the times of yore can no longer be reached."

"Exactly." Kyon nodded his head understandingly. "You're ready to face the real life, Yamamoto."

"But still, however open-minded I may be, I don't think I'd enjoy being separated with the others."

"That's why I decided to follow her."

"'Her'?"

Kyon's answer was nonverbal. He simply nodded his head towards my left.

What entered my sight as I turned my head was Suzumiya's million watt smile. She was still chatting with Yui, slipping in a light laugh every now and then. Though the lighting on the room was faint and unreliable, the magnificent shine on her eyes remained whole, mirroring an energetic character, knowing no definition of 'giving up'.

"Though she might be the one who caused most of my problems since first year, I've strangely grown accustomed to it." Kyon leaned back, smiling warmly as he narrowed his eyes in nostalgia. "What's more absurd is that I can't seem to go on without her. It doesn't feel right for some reason, like something big is missing from my life. It feels… incomplete."

Incomplete…?

"Are you saying that you're in love with her?"

My question struck Kyon's brain pretty badly. His reaction was… amusing, to say the least. His earlier warm smile vanished without a trace, and quickly replaced with a flabbergasted expression. I could see his face turning red as he turned his head away, avoiding eye contact.

"R-ridiculous, I don't have that kind of feeling towards her." He stuttered.

"Right, sorry, just making an assumption." I stated, putting my hand up in apology.

Our conversation ended thus. I felt bad for making the situation a bit awkward between the two of us, but I suppose that was nothing to rack my brain about.

"Hey, Hiromi-kun, what should I sing?"

I turned my head towards Yui's voice. She was busy browsing the songbook with Suzumiya beside her.

"I don't know any 'girl' songs." I stated. "Though I guess it would be nice for you to sing a… calming song."

"Calming?" Suzumiya stared at me, an eyebrow raised. "Why?"

"Uh…"

I don't even know why, I just want to hear her voice. Damn it, like hell I'm gonna tell that to Suzumiya. I'll just use the most reasonable answer I can come up with.

"For science." I stated bluntly.

"What?"

"I mean, I've heard her singing upbeat songs before, so I want to find out how well she's going to pull a slow, calming song." I reasoned.

"Hmm, good point."

Success.

"Okay, I've decided on a song!" Yui announced, closing the songbook. She immediately stood up from her seat, jumping past me and Kyon towards the machine.

"What got her so pumped up?" I asked nobody in particular.

"Who knows." Kyon lazily answered.

I saw Yui's shoulders rose as she took a deep breath. A quiet intro with drums filled the room, initiating the brunette to turn to us.

It was then I saw something… magical. The point where she opened her mouth to sing was the point where the room fell into a deep silence. Nobody spoke, nobody moved a muscle. It was only Yui's voice, and the smooth, calming music.

_When I noticed I was thinking about you...__  
>I felt very embarrassed<em>_  
>And I really hate that feeling<em>_  
>That's because I'm afraid to convey my feelings<em>

The bass, guitar and piano entered the flow, amplifying the soothing feeling the music had.

_Even though I suppress it in my head  
>I can't do anything about my heart<em>_  
>I don't let you notice it when we meet<em>_  
>So it can be normal how I plan to talk to you<em>

_To act so composed has started to hurt__  
>Lying to you I will put away... but<em>

_A little more... A little more...__  
>If I can get closer to your heart<em>_  
>A little more... A little more...<em>_  
>So that this moment won't end<em>

To say I've seen a singing goddess is an understatement. No, this sight is hard to convey into words.

Yui was, shall I say… beautiful. Her eyes, her lips, her smooth movements… The sight alone was enough to keep me in a state of daze and confusion. I was bewildered. As if planning to tug my heartstrings even further, the voice she let out was of utter brilliance! A symphony of a thousand violins going through my eardrums and straight to my heart, sending a pulse of delight in every tick of the clock.

_The glowing moon floats out into the heavens__  
>I'm not stronger or more confident<em>_  
>See me smiling, look, OK?<em>

_A little more... A little more...__  
>If I can get closer to your heart<em>_  
>A little more... A little more...<em>_  
>So that this moment won't end<em>

_Please, oh Lord, give me courage…_

An echo of the cymbal ended the song. It was then everything reverted back to normal. The clapping sounds snapped me out of my previous hypnotized state, and I could feel my senses kicking in once again.

"Thank you, everyone!" Yui exclaimed, bowing a bit. She then turned to me, showing her cheerful smile that could melt a heart of stone. "How was it, Hiromi-kun?"

It took me a while to register what was happening. Silence filled the room as all eyes were set on me.

"Uh…" I cleared my throat, making an attempt to get a good grip of my bearings. "It was… good, I enjoyed it." I quickly answered.

"…and?" Suzumiya leaned closer to me, demanding for more.

"And… that's it. I mean, power is perfect, breath control seems notable, and the tone- ARGH!"

My foot! Someone stepped on my foot! Who did that?

"All in all, it was perfect. Flawless." I finished, trying to ignore the throbbing pain. I scanned the group to find out who the culprit was, but it ended up bearing no fruit.

"He he, thank you, Hiromi-kun!" Yui let out a cute giggle, one that was quite unhealthy for my 17 years of beating heart.

And so, the karaoke session ended. Or rather, my mind entered a blank state after seeing that wondrous sight that I didn't even bother to listen to the others' singing.

As the sun began to set, we chose a place that might be suitable for lighting up fireworks. After a brief discussion, it was settled that the venue would be my house.

"Your backyard seems large enough to hold all of us. And there are no houses other than yours and Tanigawa-kun's." Was Suzumiya's reason.

I agreed on providing the place, much to the others' delight. With the setting sun and the chilly fall breeze accompanying us, we went on our way.

"Fire in the hole!"

**KA-BOOM!**

The group cheered as an explosion of colors decorated the starless night sky. I leaned on the lonely tree, smoking with my father beside me.

"Y'know, I could give them my .44 if they want some real noise." He said innocently, his cigar dangling on his lips.

"Unfortunately, guns and reckless youngsters don't mix well." I replied.

"Yep, I really don't want a stray bullet ending up on someone's eyeball." Dad stated.

"I believe it would be best if you refrain your plan on giving them a gun, for my daughter, and the others' safety." An elderly voice rang beside me.

Ah, yes, Mr. Kotobuki had joined us as he heard we were going to start the fireworks party at the Yamamoto residence. He stood beside my father, his broad shoulders raised as his arms were crossed.

"Of course, I was just joking."

"Sometimes, Yamamoto, it's hard to tell if you're joking or not." Mr. Kotobuki turned his head to my father, giving him a stern look.

"I believe that's what makes me awesome. Unpredictable!" Dad exclaimed, letting out a booming laugh.

Mr. Kotobuki feebly let out a tired sigh, shaking his head in dismay.

I could easily feel the warm, calming atmosphere around me as the lights and colors filled my line of sight, and all I could hear was the explosive sound of the fireworks and the small laughs and giggles the girls let out.

"You're not going to join them, Hiromi?" Dad asked, sparking a conversation between us.

"I've seen and heard my share of sparks and explosions, I'll let them have all the fun now." I stated, pulling out another cigarette as the last one was done. "Besides, I'm not quite in the mood right now."

"Why is that?"

"Let's just say I've seen an… unsettling sight a while back."

"Do tell." Mr. Kotobuki piped in.

"No, unsettling isn't the word, really. It's actually… astonishing." I stated, lighting up the cigarette I was holding.

"What did you see, exactly?" Dad was as curious as a cat for some reason.

"I saw… her." I locked my sight at a certain airheaded brunette, who was having fun with the others. Her cheerful smile was still as dazzling as that time, it didn't lose a single bit of its charm.

"Yeah, well, I saw her too. If I didn't, I'd freak out this instant."

"That's not what I'm talking about." I turned my head to Dad in annoyance. "Back then, she seemed different. Like an angel reaching for the sky, a goddess letting her voice out to soothe the human race of all their troubles and hardships of life."

"That is, shall I say, interesting." Kotobuki's father commented.

"Are you on drugs, Son?"

"Goddamnit, Dad…" I muttered.

"Ha ha, sorry, just messin' with you." He ruffled my hair, much to my dismay. "That, Son, is what they called a sight that pulls your heartstrings."

"I don't suppose you have something more… acceptable to describe it?" Mr. Kotobuki's voice chirped beside me.

"I'm no expert wordsmith, Kotobuki. Deal with it." Dad retorted.

"Ridiculous, I don't think it's associated with love in any way." I waved my hand, trying to dismiss the preposterous thing Dad had said.

"I assure you, it is. I'll leave it to my old friend here to tell the tale." Dad gestured to the old man beside me.

Mr. Kotobuki seemed reluctant to share his personal experience, but after a long sigh, he decided to start his storytelling.

"I suppose you know not of this, but actually, I was a full-blown otaku back in my younger days."

"Really?"

"Yes, video games, anime, manga, you name it. I was a man with no intentions of living a social life, I didn't want to get involved in other people's problems." He narrowed his eyes as they reflected a hint of nostalgia. "As if fate decided to kick me away from my unacceptable path, I met her, a special someone who came into my life and made my living fine."

"Cue Andy Williams' 'Love Story'." Dad snickered.

"I was skeptical during the first time she approached me." The old man continued his tale, ignoring the comments coming from his friend. "'What the hell did she want from me? Why is she so friendly?' I thought she was just trying to humiliate me, faking her gentle smile to laugh at me at later times." He mustered a warm smile, an expression that showed gratitude, and appreciation. "And then… that one time… The worries I had, the dark thoughts I made up, it was all gone. All because of a sight that easily overwhelmed the magic of the seven wonders of this world, a sight so fine that it burned into my memory, and will not disappear until the day comes where I let out my last breath."

"So you're implying that the same just happened to me?" I asked.

"Correct. That is the point where you realize that even though you're very, very skeptical about this certain person, deep inside, you know that you want her. You want to be by her side till the end of time, fighting the darkness and rejoicing at the slightest shed of light with her. You realize that she is… the one."

"The one…"

"Tell me, what do you see?" Dad pointed at Yui, who was still playing with the others.

"A friend, an energetic girl who, regardless of the situation, thinks brightly and positively." I stated bluntly.

"Now try zooming out a bit further. Is she important to you? What has she done to you these past three years?"

"Important… maybe. But for three years of being her friend, I can feel that I'm slowly changing, making a slow, but sure turn towards the right direction."

"Yep, we got a positive." Dad concluded, followed with an understanding nod from Kotobuki's father.

"A positive what?" I glared at my father, demanding for answers.

"Not telling you."

"Goddamnit, Dad-"

"Hiromi-kun!"

I turned my head towards the voice. Yui ran up to me, her cheerful smile remained intact. Her hair fluttered as the cold night breeze blew past her.

"What are you doing here, come on and join the fun!" she grabbed my hand, excitedly dragging me towards the group.

"Wait, Yui-" I saw Dad snatching my cigarette from my right hand as I kept going farther from him. "Damn it, Dad!"

"I'll finish your smoke, Hiromi, just have fun." He waved his hand innocently, his old friend mimicked the action.

Goddamnit!

And so, I was forced to watch some sparkly, colorful light that illuminated the backyard of the Yamamoto residence. Though I didn't enjoy seeing the fireworks, I was quite appealed at Yui's sweet smile as the colors from the sky enhanced the beauty of her face.

Maybe Mr. Kotobuki's words are true… maybe she is the one. I can't stop staring at her, no matter how hard I try. That smile is… dangerous. I can't think of anything else that could hypnotize me so easily.

What the hell is wrong with me?

* * *

><p><strong>(1) Dji Sam Soe: A famous Kretek cigarette brand in Indonesia. Smoked by roughnecks to CEOs, this brand does pack a punch. Unfortunately, they don't come cheap. A pack contains 12 cigarettes, which usually costs Rp. 11,000 (Roughly around... $1,25). But bloody hell, I love this brand.<strong>

**(2) Hiromi is making a reference to a mystery novel by Agatha Christie, And Then There Were None. One of the books which started my reading career.**

* * *

><p><strong>Songs used in the karaoke:<strong>

**Stop in the Name of Love - The Supremes  
>Pegasus Fantasy - Saint Seiya OP<br>Sore ga, Ai deshou - Full Metal Panic Fumoffu OP  
><strong>**Ashita Ga Aru Sa - RE:JAPAN  
><strong>**Mou sukoshi... Mou sukoshi... - Midori no Hibi ED**

* * *

><p><strong>Gotta thank Truner for many ideas, I'll make a list:<strong>

**-Tactical Facepalm  
>-Yui's winter outfit<br>-...something about Bacon  
>-[Scraped] Ritsu singing 'Hanamaru Sensation' (Sorry! Thought it wasn't really that important)<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Update speed will be reverted back to normal. But I can't decide if the next chapter should be a KyonHaruhi special or just straight into the festival. Decisions, decisions...**


	70. The Confession of Suzumiya Haruhi

**Author's Note: Okay. So I lied.**

**I feel like Valve now. That's it, update speed is unspecified. Sometimes it'll be as quick as 6 days, most of the time it'll take 2 weeks. So yeah, pretty random.**

* * *

><p><strong><span>Truner<span>: This is interesting... you should do more of this... View-Review. You won't miss a single point if you immediately write down your thoughts.**

**By the way, add rum to your coffee. I'm pretty sure you can raise the dead with that.**

**Fenichi: You've raised some valid good points there! As a Skyrim fan, I always think that there is always room for references. Then you remind me that not all people in this world are Skyrim fans. You're doing God's work, sir, thank you for the input.**

**And for chapter length, I want your input on this one. The last one is 11k words, this one is 9k. The last one is a filler, this one isn't. Let's see the difference. I'm very interested in this. Hell, I'm always interested in learning new things.**

**About Haruhi's song... well, the reason I left her out was because I had no idea what she would sing. Yeah, I'm that terrible. Sigh.**

**Magus: OH GOD WHAT HAVE I DONE**

**Thanks, by the way, I actually thought it was 'Scraped'. Then I Googled it. Then I feel stupid. I'm not editing that, though. I'll just leave it be for a mirror to reflect on.**

* * *

><p><strong>By the way, Truner, I threw your idea out of the window. I'm sorry, I just had this... urge. I still kept a few things, though. Please spare me. I'm still young.<strong>

* * *

><p>One of the downsides of the fall season is that you're pretty much too lazy to do anything. Be it assignments, hobby-related activities, and miscellaneous tasks that could take up a whole day to complete.<p>

In this case, I'm way too lazy to get myself up from bed.

Though my mind told me to keep my head on the fluffy pillow, I fought the sloth inside of me by forcing myself awake. One wouldn't learn his lesson if he didn't push himself to the limit.

It was a bit cold in my room, enough to make me let out a shiver. Blinded by the darkness of my lightless little confined space, I made my way out.

I heard the clashing sounds of a frying pan and a steel turner coming from downstairs. I took a step at the flight of stairs to be greeted by a faint song coming from the radio. As I poked my head into the kitchen, I saw my father with his back facing me.

"Morning, Hiromi, had a good sleep?" He greeted, turning his head 90° degrees to the right.

"Quite." Was my short answer. I took the kettle and filled it with water. "Coffee?" I asked, placing the kettle at the stove.

"Do you really have to ask?"

"Right." I muttered.

_Geef mij maar nasi goreng met een gebakken ei_  
><em>Wat sambal en wat kroepoek en een goed glas bier erbij<em>  
><em>Geef mij maar nasi goreng met een gebakken ei<em>  
><em>Wat sambal en wat kroepoek en een goed glas bier erbij<em>

I prepared two cups for our morning caffeine dose. Dad was making fried rice, enough to feed two people in the cold, dead morning. I looked out the window to see complete darkness pooling above the lights of the city.

"Might be raining later." Dad sparked a conversation, eyes looking at the view outside.

"Yeah, no P.E. today, thankfully." I replied, walking over to the living room to grab a pack of Lucky Strike.

_Geen lontong, sate babi, en niets smaakt hier pedis_  
><em>Geen trassi, sroendeng, bandeng en geen tahoe petis<em>  
><em>Kwee lapis, onde-onde, geen ketella of ba-pao<em>  
><em>Geen ketan, geen goela-djawa, daarom ja, ik zeg nou<em>

"The rain can bring a gloomy feeling to one's heart. Wonder why."

"It's obviously the atmosphere." I stated, returning to the kitchen to see the steaming kettle I had placed before. "Dark clouds, the lack of the shining sun, not to mention the cold winds." I poured the boiling water out to the two cups, the pure, transparent liquid turned black as they made contact with the grinded coffee beans.

"Silly humans, getting fooled by the outer appearance of things." Dad chuckled wholeheartedly.

"Note that it happens to most people who don't think logically through things. The human mind is divided into two parts: Logic and Emotions. Humans who are trained well in the Logic section will ask themselves a question: 'Why do I feel gloomy when it's raining?' and that will eventually lead to research, and they will find the answer." I took one cup in each hand and brought them to the dining table, placing it carefully so it didn't spill. "Meanwhile, the people who placed Emotions ahead of Logic will be drowned in their own forged feeling of melancholy. That is why I put Logic above Emotions, there's more to reap."

"But you'd need Emotions to blend in with society. Make friends, find that special someone, kick start a happy life with a white picket fence." Dad came out from the kitchen with two plates in his hands, each contained a mountain of steaming fried rice, ready to be consumed. "I'd say you need to keep a good balance of both."

"I can try, but I think my curiosity will get the best of me at times." I said as a plate of fried rice was set in front of me.

"I don't think that's something to worry about. I've seen your friends, I think they could melt that heart of stone you have."

"I suppose."

We started gobbling our food, having small talks while songs from the Wastelands accompanied us. Though darkness engulfed the sky in this fall morning, I easily waved the melancholic feeling away like it was a bothersome fly. One would be a fool if he let the surroundings affect his state of mind.

I have a feeling that today's gonna be a great day.

* * *

><p><strong>Untold Story #13: Strange Kind of Woman<strong>

"Damn it! What an crappy way to start the day!"

I feel like the Goddess of Fortune had just laid a curse on me for some unknown reason. Or is it just karma for something I've done in these past days. You've got to be kidding me, I didn't do anything evil! You should just place that bad luck of yours to Haruhi, she's done more evil than an evil overlord do!

Well, I'll calm down a bit and tell you what's happening. It is 5 minutes until the school bell chimes its glorious sound across the school grounds, and I'm currently at the bottom of this monstrous hill. As a senior student that is currently walking a path of unknown future, I cannot afford to be late! Never!

I ascended the hill as fast as my legs could take me, ignoring the chilly morning breeze that stabbed my face in rapid succession. The streets were quiet, dead quiet. I suppose I'm the only one facing this problem. Rotten luck.

"Kyon!"

Well, I guess not.

I turned my head back to see one of the male guitarists from the Light Music Club. Tanaka moved his legs as fast as he could, approaching me like a cheetah on a hunt.

"How much time?" He asked as he ran beside me.

"4 minutes!" I replied.

"Damn, come on, let's pick up the pace!"

We ran up the hill, though I barely kept up with Tanaka. His stamina was remarkable, I would say he was on the same level as Haruhi.

As the school building entered my sight, I saw the gate slowly closing the gap between it and the walls.

"No!" Tanaka shouted. He reduced his speed, positioning himself behind me. "Brace yourself, Kyon!"

"What are you planning to- AAAH!"

Tanaka grabbed me by the collar, lifting me up a few millimeters from the ground. With one swift and strong motion, he launched me straight into the school grounds. My reflex caught up as I was flying towards the hard-as-diamond concrete below me. I used my arms to protect my head, and thankfully landed with safety.

I'm safe! I'm in the school grounds! But wait…

"Tanaka!"

The guy who just threw me away like a ragdoll was still outside, his face showing extreme dedication to make it inside. The gap was closing in, almost to the point where a human being wouldn't fit.

"HYAAARGH!"

With his remaining strength, Tanaka leaped forwards. His right arm was upfront, his body leaned to the side. Miraculously, he made it inside, rolling on the ground a few times before regaining his balance.

"Come on, we might make it before the teacher arrives!" He immediately stood up, I followed suit.

"Got it!"

Once again, our legs got a round of exercise. It should be noted that all senior classes were located at the third floor, an inevitable fate us seniors had to face. Out of breath and nearly dying, we were finally standing in front of our class.

"Phew, Kimura's not here yet." Tanaka slid the door open, revealing our classmates in their respective seats. Surely enough, Kimura, our literature teacher, wasn't there.

The class was a bit noisy, but not enough to reach the halls. All eyes landed on us as we entered the room with sweat pouring down my forehead.

"Now that's unusual. For Kyon, I mean." Tainaka greeted us. "What's your excuse now, Tanaka?"

"Overslept. Got pretty lazy in this time of the year." Tanaka threw his bag to his desk while I made my way towards my seat. "I mean, look at that, even this guy is lazing around!" he pointed towards Yamamoto, who was taking a nap with his arms as his pillow.

"Got an explanation of your lateness, Kyon?" Haruhi asked – no, demanded for an answer. She frowned at me for some reason, clearly an expression of annoyance.

"Bad luck, I guess." I let out a tired sigh as my back connected to the uncomfortable wooden chair. "Alarm didn't ring, and my sister didn't wake me up."

"Hmm."

"Koizumi and Nagato haven't got here yet?" I asked, looking at their empty chairs.

"Dunno, I think they're skipping school today."

Hmm, that's unusual. I hope nothing weird is going on, the day is bad enough with me nearly not arriving on time, the last thing I need is some anomalies in the universe caused by you-know-who.

Haruhi went silent after that. A short moment later, I heard her bag zipping open before she rummaged through it.

"Here,"

I saw a plastic water bottle over my right shoulder. I turned my head back to see Haruhi with her usual bored expression. Her right arm was stretched forwards, her hand holding the bottle tightly.

I was a bit puzzled at first. I never thought Haruhi of all people would be helping me in regaining my energy. Maybe the water's poisoned, or it contains a drug that could make me her slave for the rest of my life!

No, of course not, that would be preposterous.

"What's with that stupid look, are you gonna take it or not?" Haruhi was getting impatient.

"Right, I'll take that. Thanks." I muttered, taking the water bottle. "You're always ready for any situation, don't you?"

"Our bodies are made of 70% water, it's only logical to bring a supply of that anywhere." She nonchalantly replied.

"I suppose so." I twisted the bottle cap open, pouring the contents of the container without the tip touching my lips. Pretty sure Haruhi won't like my germs on her bottle.

My throat, along with my whole body accepted the liquid replacement. I felt like someone just poured me with cold water. After about 1/4th of the bottle emptied, I returned it to its owner.

"Thanks. That felt good."

"Just a reminder that you should bring one next time! You can't rely on me forever!" Haruhi snatched the bottle from my hand, quickly placing it back to her bag.

"Hey, Suzumiya, where's my share?" I heard Tanaka's voice chirping from my right.

"You get nothing!"

"What? This is an outrage! Discrimination! Bias!"

"Shut up…" Yamamoto muttered, his eyes still closed.

"Come on, Hiromi, you don't think that this is fair, right?" Tanaka pleaded his old friend for help.

"Logically, it is fair." Reluctantly, Yamamoto got up, yawning as he rubbed his left eye. "You're trained in martial arts, two years, no less. Obviously, that training should increase your strength and stamina. Your body got used to extreme exercise" He then pointed to me. "Kyon, on the other hand, doesn't have any history in athletic activities. Sure, we have P.E. once in a week, but what the heck, those worth nothing."

"Tch, good point."

Well, I'd like to help him somehow, but I don't have the right over Haruhi's supply of water. And I don't think Haruhi would change her mind with a bit of persuasion. I'm sorry, Tanaka.

"You both ran all the way up the stairs for nothing, by the way." Kathy spoke. She was on her seat, jotting something on her notebook with her left hand propping her chin. "Kimura called in sick."

"He what? That son of a…" Tanaka balled his fist.

"Look at the bright side, Tanaka-kun! We're free as a bird in this first period!" Hirasawa exclaimed, raising her hands up to the air.

"I guess you're right."

Free with tasks and assignments, the class went to a rambling spree. Fortunately, they were smart enough to not let their voices reach the hall. If a teacher were to hear the loud noises, they would, undoubtedly, replace Kimura's position in teaching us.

"Wedding dresses are sooo cute." Akiyama sparked a conversation. She was skimming through a magazine of some sort.

"What's with girls and wedding dresses, anyway? If you like it that much, why don't you wear it every day?" Yamamoto spoke with his usual hoarse voice.

"Eh, it's a girl thing. You won't understand, Yamamoto." Kathy replied.

"That, too, caught my curiosity." Tanigawa piped in. "Women's love of wedding dresses, I've been questioning that since a long time ago, and it's still left unanswered."

"I'd say it's not worth it. Women and their logic can be confusing sometimes."

Somehow, I have to agree with you there, Yamamoto. Not wanting to sound sexist, but you women and your way of thinking could get confusing at times.

"You really need to watch your words, Yamamoto." Tainaka shook her head in disapproval, letting out a tired sigh. "Let's see… Tanigawa! Imagine your lovely Mio wearing a wedding dress. What would you think?"

"Hmm, that is a bit tricky. Allow me use a bit of my imagination here…" With his never-fading smile, the Koizumi-clone turned to his girlfriend.

He stared at Akiyama for a few seconds. As the female bassist began to feel uncomfortable, Tanigawa nodded his head.

"She'd look very beautiful." Said he, turning back to the question asker.

"See? That's why we're interested in it. Wedding dresses could make men feel… astonished. We want to amaze you guys with our beauty, hence women's love towards wedding dresses."

"Ah, amazing conclusion! Thank you, Tainaka-san, I learned something new today."

"So you'd sacrifice maneuverability for appeal? That's… dumb." Being a skeptical person he was, Yamamoto's pride stood still.

"Or noble." Tanigawa butted, his cunning smile remained in one piece. "I'd say it's heroic, sacrificing something that's valuable to you for other's sake."

"Hrngh, good point."

"But I think Yamamoto is right, those fancy dresses would probably be hard to move in." Eventually, Haruhi got interested in the conversation.

"The thing is, we don't participate in sports activities during the wedding day." Kathy explained. "So why not? All you have to do is walk down the aisle, and poof, you're done. The uncomfortable feeling only lasts for a few hours, it's worth it."

Kathy turned her head to me. I could imagine a light bulb appearing above her head as her face showed a sly smirk. Of course, I felt the chills going up my spine, as if I could predict that something unfortunate would happen to me.

"Besides, I think Kyon would enjoy the view."

That's it, I'm going to be a fortune teller when I grow up. I bet I'll be rich as hell just by foretelling people's luck. Though probably I'll only master the art of predicting bad lucks and disasters.

"So, Kyon… would you love to see Haruhi in a wedding dress?"

All eyes landed on me as I frowned at Kathy's question. What caught my curiosity was Haruhi's silence after the question was asked. She just sat there, her eyes locked at me with bent eyebrows.

Why are you so quiet, Haruhi? You would usually get annoyed and butt back at times like these. Don't tell me you're waiting for an answer!

After a few seconds, it was obvious that Haruhi was very curious of my answer. With no other option, I decided to give the simplest answer of all.

"I have no idea."

"Bzzzt, answer not accepted. To put it simply, yes or no?"

Damn it!

Let's find another way to resolve this situation, shall we? The two options I have are 'yes' or 'no'. Well, I don't quite have the answer right now, so let's just try to find out what my mind says.

Imagine Haruhi in a wedding dress…

The sun above shone brightly as a girl I knew well walked over to me. Her golden eyes reflected her character perfectly – shining with spirit and energy. Her hair fluttered with the wind, tied up to a small ponytail. She smiled brightly, showing her white, small teeth as she slightly tilted her head. As I looked down, I saw a dress sewed and blessed by the angels. White and soft, the dress went from her chest to her toes, covering half of her high heels.

"Dumb face."

And then I was snatched away from the dreamland.

Annoyed by the interruption, I turned my head to Haruhi. She scowled at me, though I saw a tint of pink on her cheeks.

"Y'know what? Forget it. Your face tells it all." Kathy waved her hand, seemed to be satisfied with my somewhat uncertain answer.

"Doesn't take a genius." Yamamoto muttered, letting out a sigh through his nose.

"Uurgh, whatever…" I growled in annoyance.

And so, the first period ended up a bit awkward for the two of us. The others kept on rambling, though Haruhi and I were silent, not even making eye contact.

"Hey, Kyon…"

"What?" I nonchalantly answered.

"Do you really think that I'd look good in a wedding dress?"

I thought I was already safe, but nooo, I completely forgot that I was never safe. Why me…

"Why'd you ask? You're getting married soon?" I said, trying to divert her attention somewhere else by launching a witty comment.

"Just answer the question!"

Ah well, worth a shot.

Sighing for the nth time, I decided to just end the everlasting play and be honest with my opinion. Hey, telling truths to Haruhi won't do any harm, right?

"As much as I like it, I don't think you'd enjoy moving around in those. You're a very energetic girl, Haruhi, I know you're not going to be comfortable with those frills and stuff. Hell, I don't think you'd ever wear high heels." I cleared my throat, getting ready to finish my statement on this ridiculous matter. "So in conclusion, I'd love to see it, but knowing how uncomfortable you'd be, I'd rather not."

"I… I see." Haruhi turned her head away, gazing at the view outside the window. I couldn't see her expression due to her bangs blocking her face, but I did saw a tint of pink on her cheeks.

This is the point where I wonder: What's on her mind? Is she delighted, or disappointed? Is my answer good enough?

Hold it. I think there is a more important question to be answered here.

Why do I care?

Ah, whatever… I'm just glad I got that out of the way.

The first period passed pretty quickly, and our voices died down after Tanizaki-sensei entered the room. Just like usual, the students had fun with her teaching the class. Though English was quite a challenge, Tanizaki-sensei taught us with a few jokes and stories thrown in. Needless to say, we had a good time.

I let out a yawn as the bell rang, indicating that lunch break had started. A few students went out to grab a bite at the school cafeteria, while some stayed behind, taking out their bento that they brought with them.

It was then I remembered that I hadn't made my own.

Damn it, my stomach's grumbling. I haven't consumed a single meal today, and I think I'll die in the middle of class if I don't get something to eat.

Deciding to prevent my death of starvation, I checked my pockets to see if I had enough money to buy something from the cafeteria.

And once again, the Goddess of Fortune gave me a swift, roundhouse kick to the face.

My wallet was nowhere to be found. My pockets were empty, my bag filled only with books. I was pretty disorientated waking up late in the morning that I forgot to bring my wallet with me.

"I'll survive… somehow." I gave myself a boost of morale.

I reclined back on my chair and assessed the situation in the room.

Haruhi was nowhere to be seen, I presumed that she was gone to the cafeteria as usual. Yamamoto and Hirasawa, too, weren't on their seats.

Hmm, Yamamoto's probably up on the rooftop by now. Maybe I can chat with him to distract me from my hunger. Having a talk with that guy is always fun, he seems to be packed full of knowledge from God-knows-where, and he doesn't mind sharing it. Plus, he is probably the sanest person I've ever met between this group of weird and eccentric people.

I made my way up the stairs, passing by a few students on the hall. Absentmindedly, I slid open the door leading outside.

Fresh, cold air infiltrated my nostrils, and the sun was calling in sick for the day. Dark clouds pooled above the building, giving off a gloomy, intimidating aura. I looked around for a certain son of a mercenary. Much to my surprise, Haruhi was there along with Hirasawa and Yamamoto. They were sitting by the fence, each with a bento in their hands.

"Hey, Kyon-kun! Care to join us?" Hirasawa cheerfully greeted me.

This is like adding lemon juice to my wound.

"No. Didn't have time to make one this morning." I stated, closing the door behind me.

"Eh? Have you had breakfast?"

"I haven't."

"Get something from the cafeteria, then." Yamamoto spoke.

"I left my wallet at home."

The three stared at me with disbelief. Letting out a tired sigh, I sat down beside Haruhi.

"Did you just murder someone?" Yamamoto broke the silence. "You know how karma works."

"Yeah, maybe I did that while sleepwalking." I replied, rubbing my temples. "Seriously, I'm just down on my luck today."

"It's all in the mind, Kyon-kun!" With a friendly punch on the shoulder, Hirasawa made an attempt to cheer me up. "If you think you're unlucky, you'll feel unlucky. If you think you're lucky, you'll feel lucky. It's that simple!"

Sometimes, I really want to have your way of thinking, Hirasawa. I'm pretty sure my life would be like riding the calm seas instead of the stormy and deadly waves.

"Well, Yui is right, actually." Yamamoto cracked open his can of coffee, taking a few sips. "All that matters is how you interpret things – how your mind registers them. But hell, not being able to eat for half a day is pretty much the crappiest thing that could happen to anyone."

Yamamoto earned himself a pinch on the arm from Hirasawa. She kept her smiling face as the male guitarist grunted in pain.

Yeah, well, I know he's not a pretty good motivator, but I don't think he deserves that. You're too strict, Hirasawa.

"You can have mine if you want, Kyon-kun." Hirasawa offered her half-done bento.

"Oh no, no, no, Yui-chan." Haruhi interrupted, waving her index finger in front of Hirasawa's face. "As a member of the SOS Brigade, I'm sure Kyon can handle starvation quite easily."

"Eh? But-"

Whatever Hirasawa planned to say was halted as she seemed to come into realization. She widened her eyes and her mouth was shaped like an 'O'.

"Okay, I get it." She stood up from her seat, grabbing Yamamoto's wrist on the process. "Come on, Hiromi-kun, let's get back to class."

"I just opened my can of coffee." The man protested, resisting the arm yanks.

"Come on, class is starting soon." Yet again giving another pinch on the arm, Hirasawa managed to force Yamamoto up to a standing position.

"Ow, ow, ow, alright, alright! Jesus…" Reluctantly, he followed the airhead's lead.

"See you in class, Kyon-kun, Haru-chan!"

Haruhi waved her hand, a catlike grin on her face. Within a few seconds, the two were back inside.

Huh, never thought Hirasawa could get pretty aggressive. I guess she's almost on her limit.

Deafening silence fell upon us as we sat side-by-side. The clouds were getting a bit meaner, they gathered above us, as if they were intimidating us with their control over the weather.

"Here."

I turned my head to my left to see Haruhi's blue bento box in front of my face. The food looked simple, riceballs, rolled eggs and a bit of this and that. It seemed delicious, but I managed to keep my mouth from watering.

"I thought you're going to let me starve to death?" I said.

"That would bring a bad name to the brigade. 'SOS Brigade member Kyon died of starvation', the school will be shaken! You know how the school newspaper works, they always write things without context, leading to a chaos of rumors and gossips."

Well, that's journalism to you.

"Anyways, just take this!" Haruhi pushed the box closer to my face. "Next period is math, you'd need the necessary nutrition to think. No way in hell I'm gonna let you fall behind on the lessons."

"Alright, alright…" I chuckled, taking the bento from her hand. "Thanks, Haruhi." I managed to muster a smile as my eyes met hers.

"S-sure." She turned her head away, hiding her face. "Just remember that everything that might happen to you, I will be the one who takes the dirt. Make sure you take care of yourself."

"I understand, Miss Haruhi." I joked, taking a first bite.

Haruhi's bento was godly. Not because I was very hungry and I would even eat a beetle, but because it was made with finesse. I really wanted to enjoy every single bit of the food, but my hunger and the lack of time disabled me from doing so.

"What would I do to taste your cooking every day…" I absentmindedly said.

"Come again?"

"Ah, nothing, just talking to myself."

Haruhi raised an eyebrow at me before placing her attention back on the fields below us.

Why did I say that? Damn it, something's really wrong with me today.

"Looks like it's gonna rain." The girl beside me raised her head up, gazing at the sky above us.

"It's been like this since morning." I replied, setting the empty bento box beside me.

"I don't know, it feels really… gloomy when the skies are dark." Haruhi muttered, narrowing her eyes with sorrow as she let out a sigh. "I don't like it. Not a single bit."

"I agree. Though it makes me wonder, why would people get melancholic when the skies are dark?"

"Hmm…"

"I guess it's just something along the lines of humans and their brains." I lied down, feeling happy with a bellyful of food. "Hirasawa said it best, it's all in the mind. People go along with the atmosphere – the mood of the environment, that they forget their own feelings. The heavy and gloomy feeling got the best of their hearts, the dark clouds overwhelm the bright ones. And then, they fall as a victim of nature."

I didn't see Haruhi's face quite clearly, but I assumed that she was grinning after I finished my speech.

"You're right." She stated, lying down on her back with her hands as a pillow. "I won't be defeated by the stupid weather. That sounds silly." She smiled widely, her eyes sparkling.

"That's good to hear."

Somehow, I feel really happy to be able to lead Haruhi back to her original state. It just doesn't feel right to see her face filled with sorrow.

I shifted my eyes to my beloved leader. It was then I noticed something off.

"Haruhi, you feeling well?" I asked, taking a closer look at her face.

"I'm fine." She answered shortly, turning her head away.

"Your face is red." I moved myself closer to her, reaching out to her forehead. "Are you hot?"

"I said I'm fine!" she slapped my hand away before it made contact. Before I could muster anything, she stood up and stormed inside.

I was dumbfounded as I heard her footsteps descending the stairs. The glorious chime of the bell snapped me awake, reminding me of the responsibilities I had to take as a student.

Dazed and confused, I made my way back into class.

She's not feeling well, I know it. That beet red face and the way she walk gave it away. Damn, why won't she admit it? Is your pride really that important, Haruhi?

As class went by, I couldn't help but think of the girl who sat behind me. I wanted to turn back and take a look, but judging from the way she acted, Haruhi didn't want to be bothered.

The teacher was scribbling some equations on the front of the class. The chalk made a clacking sound as they collided with the board, filling in the dead silence that filled the room. As another series of clacking sound entered my ears, someone threw a folded piece of paper towards me. It landed on the side of my head, gaining my attention.

Feeling a bit irritated, I unfolded the paper with haste.

_Your leader doesn't seem to be doing well. Labored breathing and high body temperature, might be a fever. Take her to the nurse's office if possible._

_-Yamamoto_

I turned my head towards the sender. With his arms crossed and his usual expressionless face intact, he nodded his head towards the girl behind me.

I took my pen and wrote the following note below Yamamoto's:

_I noticed. She doesn't want to be bothered for some reason. An attempt to persuade her would be useless at this point. I don't know what to do._

Crumpling the paper, I decided to use Yamamoto's trick to lessen the chance of being spotted by the teacher. I waited for the chalk to make contact with the board.

**Clack!**

The chalk sound covered the noise of the landing paper neatly. My plan worked, the teacher was oblivious of our act of delinquency.

As I waited for an answer, I heard Haruhi coughing lightly several times. A drop of sweat rolled down my cheeks as my worry increased. None of the materials entered my brain, I didn't pay attention to the teacher. My mind was focused on Haruhi all the time.

Come on, Yamamoto… I need your help. What should I do?

"…and for this problem… Suzumiya-san, would you please solve it?"

No! Not now, Sensei!

I heard Haruhi standing up from her chair. She entered my sight, wobbling on her way to the front. I easily saw what was going to happen as she passed by my desk.

Reflexively, I jumped out of my seat and placed myself behind Haruhi. Her legs gave in just after I readied myself. Her weak body landed safely on my arms, earning a few gasps from the class.

I panicked. My mind disorientated, my muscles tensed. I stared at the unconscious person in my arms, trying to figure out what was happening. It didn't work. My brain failed to function.

"Kyon!"

I managed to get a grasp of my senses after a loud voice called out to me. Turning my head, I saw Yamamoto by the door. He looked a bit panicked, but not enough to stop him from acting cool, calm and collected.

"Nurse's office! Now!" He shouted, signaling me to hurry.

"R-right!" I stuttered, shaking my head furiously. As my train of thoughts went back on its track, I used all of my strength to carry Haruhi.

I ran towards the nurse's office with Yamamoto leading me. As we were nearing the destination, he increased his speed. With swift movements, he slid the door open for me. Thanking him under my breath, I set Haruhi down on the bed.

"Damn it, nurse's not here. Useless cretin!" Yamamoto growled, rummaging through the cabinet. "How's she doing?"

I placed my hand on Haruhi's forehead. Though I did expect her body temperature to be high, I still let out a gasp of surprise as I felt my hand burning.

"Bad." I feebly shook my head, my mind still in shock. "Compress, Yamamoto." I requested.

"Found it." He tossed a box of compresses towards me.

I took one out and placed it on Haruhi's forehead. Her breathing was getting a bit steady, but the temperature was nowhere near normal. Yamamoto stood beside me, inspecting the patient thoroughly.

"Holy crap, this is bad." He muttered as he placed a hand on Haruhi's forehead. "We need to get her home, this room is not in any way suitable for her in this situation."

"You're not thinking of carrying her all the way down the hill, aren't you?"

"Of course not." He took out his phone. "I'll contact my dad, let him take her by car." Flipping it open, Yamamoto pressed a few buttons before pressing the device against his ear. "Keep her company." He said, gesturing towards the girl.

I turned my attention to Haruhi, who was still lying down without consciousness. Her face showed pain and distress, supplying my beating heart with much unneeded worry.

"…Kyon…"

The soft and weak voice was like a chirping bird in the morning to my ears. To know Haruhi had regained her consciousness was very, very relieving. I lifted my head to see her pained face, her eyes opening by a few millimeters, the golden sparks weren't present.

"Hang in there, Haruhi, we're taking you home." I said, making an attempt to calm her down.

"…home? No… my parents are on a trip for the weekend, they're not home…"

"What?" Yamamoto spoke, his phone still on his ear. "Crap… what should we do, then…"

I hung my head, gritting my teeth in annoyance. Damn it, why am I angry? I don't have time for this!

"Today is Friday." I began, clenching my fist. "I have a weekend to spare, so…"

Awkward silence fell upon us as I made an attempt to rethink of my words.

"Acknowledged." Yamamoto tapped my shoulder, chuckling a bit. "The order stands, get here ASAP." He spoke to the phone.

"Kyon…"

"Don't worry, Haruhi. I'll take care of you while your parents are out." I smiled warmly, trying to assure her of her safety.

"Heh… I don't think I'll enjoy that." She chuckled, her face finally showing a shed of happiness.

"You'll have to deal with it." I replied, flicking away a few bangs that covered her sweaty face. "Now just rest, we'll take care of everything from here."

"Okay…" with a last smile and a nod, Haruhi's eyes closed yet again. I let out a sigh of relief as I knew everything would be fine.

"Dad's arriving in 10 minutes." Yamamoto said in a low voice, pocketing his phone. "So you're planning to stay over at her place for the weekend?" he asked.

"Yeah, wouldn't want to leave a sick person alone."

"Understood." He nodded his head. "I'll accompany you for today, just in case. Your one and only task is to keep her company. Don't ever leave her alone, always be there every time she gains consciousness. If you need help with anything else, toss it away to me or anyone near you."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"I'll contact the others later, they might want to visit after school."

"That reminds me… we're going to skip classes, then?"

"Yep." Yamamoto nodded his head. "Well, priorities have to be straight as an arrow. You don't want to solve equations when there's your best friend lying powerless."

"Hmm, you're right."

Yamamoto took his phone, taking a quick glance at the screen. With a nod, he pocketed it back.

"That's our signal. Let's get out of here. Can you carry her?"

"I can, don't worry." I stated, turning to Haruhi.

I placed my left arm under her back and my right arm under her legs. With all my strength, I lifted the patient. I knew Haruhi wasn't very heavy with her slim figure, but it still took a bit of hard work to lift her.

"Watch your step."

I descended the stairs carefully with Yamamoto right in front of me, just in case I managed to lose my balance. I was a bit doubtful along the way, but we made it to the first floor without damaging Haruhi.

Walking out to the school grounds, I saw an American muscle car parked on the fields. Sitting there on the driver's seat was Yamamoto's father, looking sharp and spirited like a soldier he was.

"Welp, never thought she would get knocked out." He greeted, jerking his thumb to the backseat. "Come on in, backseat's supposed to be spacious enough for you two."

Yamamoto opened the door for me. I muttered a small 'thanks' as I carefully placed Haruhi on the backseat. I noticed that there was no space for me to sit, so I slowly and steadily lifted her head and used my lap as her pillow.

"Alright, let's get out of here." Yamamoto stated as he took the front seat.

With a step on the pedal, we were off to Haruhi's house.

The beast of an engine growled mercilessly as we rode the streets of Nishinomiya. The dark clouds above were still doing their job – to further increase the worry on my mind. I shook my head, trying to get a better grip of my bearings.

"So what happened?" Mr. Yamamoto asked, turning his head to me for a quick glance.

"She lost consciousness all of a sudden." I explained, running my fingers through her hair. "I don't know why, she seems fine this morning."

"A fever this high wouldn't strike so suddenly like that, she must be sick from the start of the day." The old man stated, turning the wheel to the left. "Question is, how the hell did the fever get there in the first place?"

"I haven't the foggiest." I sighed, not really in the mood for thinking.

"That caught my curiosity as well." Yamamoto began. "But hell, now's not the time. We'll figure it out later."

"Agreed."

I never once thought that a virus could creep up into Haruhi's body. I guess the theory was proved wrong. Though she's a weird, eccentric girl who could alter the world in a lift of a finger, I suppose a part of her is just an ordinary schoolgirl.

"We're here."

The car stopped just outside the Suzumiya residence. It was then Haruhi regained her consciousness. She was a bit surprised as she noticed her head was on my lap.

"Oh, the sleeping beauty's up." Mr. Yamamoto got out of the car, opening the door for me.

"Can you walk?" I asked, taking her hand.

"I think so…" she muttered weakly, trying to get up.

Haruhi's attempt ended up in a failure. Halfway into a sitting position, her body gave in. Thankfully, I was there to support her.

"I'm carrying you." I stated, wrapping my arm around her back.

"W-wait, Kyon!"

I ignored her protests and continued on carrying her towards the door. She buried her head on my chest as she wrapped her arms around my neck, her face red with embarrassment.

"The key…" Yamamoto muttered as he stood at the front door. He turned his head to Haruhi. "You got the key, Suzumiya?"

"It's in my bag." Haruhi answered innocently before furrowing her eyebrows. "Don't tell me you left my bag at school."

"I left your bag at school." The man sighed, shaking his head.

"Permission to kick the door in?" Mr. Yamamoto asked.

"Not granted!"

"Tch, I was trying to look awesome." He muttered, walking back to his car. "Wait here. Got some tools in the trunk I might be able to use."

"Tools?" I asked nobody in particular.

"Lockpicking tools. He keeps those around." Yamamoto spoke, inspecting the door.

"What for?"

"For situations like these." The ex-mercenary appeared behind me with a small leather bag in his hand. "The art of lockpicking is always associated with thievery. But this act right here…" he tinkled around with the lock. After a few seconds, the door opened. "…is proof that anything bad has its good sometimes."

"Huh… cool." I muttered, walking inside with the two following.

The house was dead quiet, indicating that no soul resided the place. I kicked off my shoes, which, annoyingly, were the school's indoor shoes. I made a note to return them later. Yamamoto took off Haruhi's shoes before we went further into the house.

"My room's upstairs." Haruhi stated, coughing lightly a few times.

We went up the wooden stairs, our footsteps echoing in the silent halls of the building. Yamamoto and his father were on my back, turning their heads around like curious foxes.

"Ugh… my head…" Haruhi winced in pain, her grip on my shirt getting tighter.

"Hang on. We're almost there." I said, going through the door towards Haruhi's room.

I was surprised as I entered the room. It was just an ordinary schoolgirl's room with chic designs. There were no strange decorations or paintings hung on the wall, the furniture were 'normal' enough, though a bit colorful for my tastes. There was a computer on the desk, along with some school books stacked neatly beside it.

I set Haruhi down on her bed, letting out a sigh of relief as I knew she was safe. The girl furrowed her eyebrows as she rubbed her temples, constantly moaning in pain.

"Got some meds, Suzumiya? Might help you on your sleep." Yamamoto asked, checking around the room.

"…bathroom. Cabinet." The girl weakly answered, her breathing becoming more and more labored

"Gotcha, be right back."

Yamamoto stormed out of the room with his father behind him. With the two gone, I turned my head back to Haruhi.

What to do? Something to ease her pain – distract her from thinking about her sickness. What, juggle some colorful balls to entertain her? What the hell should I do, damn it!

"Never thought you'd get sick." I began, grabbing a chair to sit beside her.

"Heh, it's partly your fault."

"What?" I asked, tilting my head in confusion.

"Nevermind… forget it." She turned her head away, hand covering her face.

So I'm to blame for your sickness? I didn't do anything! Well, I took a bit of your water supply and half of your lunch, but I don't think those could make you lose consciousness in the middle of class!

"Your bathroom is sparkly as a goddamn pansy vampire." Yamamoto appeared from the door, a glass of water on his right hand and a pill on his left. "Here, this should knock you out like a tranq dart on a lion."

He gave the pill to Haruhi, which she swallowed without a second thought. After a few swigs of pure mineral water, Haruhi fell back on her bed, letting out a content sigh.

"Get some rest. You'll feel better when you wake up." I comfortingly said.

"Grrh, getting sick is annoying." Haruhi stated, her eyebrows bent down in annoyance.

"Why the hell are you sick, anyway?" Yamamoto asked as he walked around the room. As he opened a drawer, he made a surprised look, followed with a smirk. "Heh, nevermind, don't answer that." He said, closing the drawer.

"Y-Yamamoto!" Haruhi tried to get up, though I managed to stop her.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry!" Yamamoto seemed to be holding back a laugh as he apologized. He covered his mouth with his hand. "That was an accident!"

"You see nothing! Is that clear?"

"Yes ma'am." The man snickered, walking towards the door. "Now get some sleep, I'll just… er, I dunno, read some magazines about knitting or something."

"Just shut up, Yamamoto." Haruhi hissed, gritting her teeth in annoyance.

"Right. Joking aside, I'll be downstairs if you need anything. Just knock on the floor or shout or whatever. Sweet dreams, Suzumiya."

With that, Yamamoto and his father left the room once again.

"Jeez…"

"What's in the drawer, anyway?" I asked, turning my head towards the mysterious container.

"None of your business! If you're thinking of getting near it, someone's gonna get hurt real bad, do I make myself clear?" Haruhi stabbed my chest threateningly, a serious look on her face.

"Yes ma'am." I copied Yamamoto's words, not wanting to further anger the ill Goddess.

"Good." She sighed in annoyance, covering her eyes with her hand. "I need some sleep now."

"Yeah, go on. I'll be here." I said, leaning back on the chair.

Haruhi's face seemed to turn redder after I said those words. Though she might be a bit annoyed at the earlier events, she passed out after a few seconds.

I sighed as dead silence filled the room. All I could hear was Haruhi's soft breathing and a few cars that passed by the streets outside. I turned the chair around to see the sacred drawer that Yamamoto had checked earlier.

Should I take a peek? My curiosity is killing me now that I know Haruhi has prohibited me in seeing what's inside. What could possibly make Haruhi panic so much? And why did Yamamoto seemed pretty amused?

I scoffed, shaking my head to regain some of my senses.

I guess I'll let it be. That girl's full of surprises, it would be best to not ruin it. I think I can manage to hold back my curiosity this time.

Turning my attention back to the patient, I saw her sleeping peacefully, her face showing no trace of pain nor suffering.

Even though she might be untroubled, I feel really worried of her condition. Sure, I've had worse situations. World-altering ones, even. But this one, I can't seem to handle it pretty well. Just seeing her sleeping like that, losing her charm of excitement for once. My mind can't adapt to this, no matter how hard I try. I've lost my bearings, lost in the stormy seas of emotion. I can't think clearly, everything is just a blur.

I could feel the futility taking over my senses. I took her hand, holding it as tight as I could.

"Get well soon… Haruhi."

And those were my words before I fell into a deep sleep.

…

"Well, it seems we've come at the wrong time."

I opened my eyes as I heard a familiar voice. As I blinked a few times to recover my vision, I noticed I was still holding Haruhi's hand. I reflexively let go of it, noticing that the eccentric girl was still sleeping.

Turning my head towards the voice that had just chirped, I saw three figures standing by the door. They were none other than the lovely brigade members, complete with the college freshman Asahina-san. She looked a bit worried, though her angelic face remained the same as ever. Koizumi had his bright smile intact and Nagato was… Nagato.

"I'm sorry, I must've woke you up." Koizumi apologized, walking over to me.

"You guys… what are you doing here?" I asked, still not fully functioning.

"Yamamoto-kun contacted us, so we decided to give a visit." Asahina-san spoke, taking a few steps towards Haruhi. As her eyes landed on the sleeping beauty, she let out a cute giggle. "Suzumiya-san looks so peaceful."

"Koizumi, where were you this morning?" I focused my attention on Koizumi, trying to get some info from him.

"I apologize for being absent without noticing you." He replied, lowering his voice for obvious reasons. "There were sudden appearances of Closed Spaces this morning."

"This morning?"

"Yes, I assume Suzumiya-san was already sick before school started. You didn't notice?"

I shook my head no.

"I suppose she is good at hiding things." The gentleman crossed his arms, eyes locked on Haruhi. "Actually, what caught my attention is the fact that there is not a single Closed Space right now."

"Not a single one?"

"Zero."

"It doesn't add up." I furrowed my eyebrows, confusion ran through me. "She's still sick right now, at least a Closed Space should pop out."

"Aren't Closed Spaces made if Suzumiya-san is in a bad mood?" Asahina-san asked to Koizumi.

"You are correct, Asahina-san."

"If that is the case, then Suzumiya-san must be in a good mood right now."

"I'm sorry, Asahina-san, I don't think she would be in a good mood if she's lying there powerless." I stated.

"That's not the point, Kyon-kun." Asahina-san once again showed her angelic smile that I hadn't seen for so long. "Anyone can be happy when they're under the weather. There is a difference between physical condition and mental condition."

"Hmm, you're right." I muttered, placing a hand under my chin. "But still, why is she happy? If I were to get a fever this high, happiness would never cross my mind."

"Well, Suzumiya-san is always unpredictable."

I guess I'll leave it at that.

"I suppose we should head downstairs now." Koizumi spoke, eyes locked on Haruhi. "It is best to let Suzumiya-san's rest go undisturbed."

"I agree." Asahina-san nodded her head, turning towards the door. "Make sure you keep a good eye on her, Kyon-kun." She said, mustering a warm smile at me.

"O-of course. I will." I stuttered. Asahina-san's smile could make you a bit flustered most of the time. No, at all times.

The trio left the room, making the silence crept back in. Leaning back on the chair, I monitored the person in bed like a guard on patrol.

The brief sleep I had earlier wasn't enough to clear my mind of my worries. But then I remembered Koizumi's statement.

Even though I doubt that he would lie to me, it's still a possibility. Haruhi in a good mood while she's sick? Who would believe that?

"Nnnngh…"

The low, soft moan snapped me out of my thoughts. I saw Haruhi opening her eyes by a few millimeters before turning her head to me.

"How are you feeling?" I asked, trying to remain calm.

"Much better." She replied, blinking a few times. "Still a bit lightheaded, though."

"That's a relief."

I let out a sigh as I felt my mind lightening up. Somehow just talking with her loosened up the tension a bit.

"Hey, Kyon…"

"What?"

"Have I told you that you've been annoying me constantly since we first met?"

What's that supposed to mean?

"You haven't, and I don't think you'd need to do that."

"I've been thinking of some ways to bother you for revenge, and I think I found one."

I scoffed, turning my head away. "And that is?" I challenged.

Of course, I was too oblivious of what was to come. I had forgotten that this peculiar girl had an ability to come up with the most surprising act at times.

I could feel a hand grabbing my tie. With a movement faster than my brain could register, Haruhi forcefully pulled me towards her.

And then something warm touched my lips.

It took me a split second to realize that Haruhi's warm lips were touching mine. I widened my eyes as I felt my muscles and joints gave in at the weird sensation that ran throughout my body. Haruhi had her eyes closed, as if enjoying every second of the kiss.

This feeling… it's the same as that time I kissed her at the Closed Space she created. It feels so soft and warm… It's disorientating, I can't think of anything right now!

After a few seconds, Haruhi pulled back. I sat still, frozen like a statue.

"Now the cold will get to you." She said, smiling at me.

The smile she mustered wasn't the usual smug one. It was a sweet one – a smile that showed true happiness.

Briefly after those words, Haruhi turned away, making her back face me. I stared at her for a few seconds, blinking my eyes once.

Twice.

Thrice.

What the hell just happened?

Did Haruhi just… Oh, man, why would she do that? To infect me with her cold? Are you kidding me, you don't have to kiss me just for that!

Damn it, Haruhi, just what are you trying to say to me?

I pressed the palm of my hand to my face, letting out a sigh to cool my heart down a bit.

I let out a chuckle as I carefully thought about the earlier act Haruhi pulled. That small chuckle turned to a snicker, and then to a laugh.

Am I really that stupid? Does it really have to take three years to realize? Three years! Three years of ignorance, how pathetic is that? There are hints dropped to my left and right by a lot of people, and I ignored it! No, I denied it! I didn't accept the truth.

Now, Haruhi herself has declared her love to me. Am I still going to deny it? Well, I'd need to get my head checked if I do. I mean, she's Haruhi! A pretty, energetic girl who doesn't know the meaning of 'give up'. Sure, she might be weird at times, but that's always her charm – the thing that attracts me.

I shook my head, ending my laughing spree. Sighing yet again, I lied down beside Haruhi. I smiled to the fullest, closing my eyes as I wrapped my left arm around her.

"What were you laughing at?" asked Haruhi, who was still facing away.

"My stupidity." I answered, opening my eyes.

The girl turned around to face me, showing her soft smile perfected with her shining golden eyes. I pulled her closer to me, feeling the warmth amplifying as she reduced the distance between us.

"Glad to hear you're finally aware of that."

She let out a cute, excited giggle before burying her head on my chest. I closed my eyes once again, letting my other senses take over. I could hear Haruhi's steady breathing along with my rapid heartbeat.

It was then the door opened.

"Kyon, everyone's here to-"

Whatever news Yamamoto wanted to announce was undelivered. My back was facing him, so I decided to feign sleep.

"What's wrong, Hiromi-kun?" I heard Hirasawa's voice chirping. "Oh my…"

"Hrrgh…" Yamamoto growled, presumably in annoyance. "Everyone, get back downstairs."

"What? But we want to see Haruhi!" Tainaka protested. She was still outside the room.

"We can see her later, Ricchan." Hirasawa said. "Haru-chan is… busy."

I'm not quite sure 'busy' is the word, Hirasawa.

"What are you talking about-"

"No questions, just get the hell out of here." Yamamoto cut off Tanaka's words.

"Tch, fine."

I heard a series of footsteps going down the stairs after Yamamoto said those words. I could feel that he was still standing there, staring at us.

"Goddamned lovebirds."

He then closed the door.

We broke to an all-out laughter after the door closed. Haruhi shushed me, though her laughing was louder than mine.

"What's his problem?" I said, managing to reduce my laughter to a chuckle.

"He's just jealous, probably." Haruhi replied, wiping the tears off her eyes.

"Oh well, he'll get it sooner or later."

"Hey, do you think we should go downstairs for a second?"

"No." I answered, running my hand through her soft hair. "Just stay here for a little bit longer."

"Okay."

Haruhi wrapped her arms around my back, giving me a great sensation of comfort.

It's pretty surreal to see the both of us doing this. What's weirder is the fact that we were always in love with each other. We just didn't notice it. Well, Haruhi did. But until now, I was always in a state of denial.

It all makes sense now. The reason why I'm the only normal guy in the brigade, the solution Nagato and Asahina-san gave to me during that one time in the Closed Space, the events at Valentine's Day, and of course, her happiness just now. So Koizumi wasn't lying, I guess I need to come up with an apology.

I don't know what brought us together in the first place. Faith or destiny or whatever. All I can say is I feel really thankful to have a girl like her. She's one of a kind. And I hope I will be able to keep her happy until the end of time.

And I still want to know what's in that drawer...

* * *

><p><strong>Cameos are fun. I should do more. Do you know where Kimura and Tanizaki come from?<strong>

**I think the next chapter will be like an 'aftermath' of this one. Then the festival comes. Oh yeah, gonna have a good time writing that.**

**90 reviews at chapter 70! Let's get to 100! WHOOOO!**

**By the way, the song at the beginning is 'Geef Mij Mar Nasi Goreng'. A Dutch song, pretty famous here in Indonesia, at least between the old folks.**


	71. A Letter of Apology

Well, it's been too long since I've written something. I suppose there will be errors here and there. Nevertheless, I really want to deliver this message to everyone out there who clicked on this story.

I've started this, and it's time for me to end it.

Genki, Musician, Tastychainsaws, Professor, I am sorry.

I've talked to Truner just now regarding this issue, as you can see, he used the review page of that one OC story to get in touch with you guys. Well, I didn't quite agree with his Rambo-ish idea, but as a result, it gave me a clearer picture of what's going on in here.

I know PM is called 'Private Messaging' for a reason, but I asked Truner what it said. Sorry Genki, Musician.

But after reading those two messages, I finally understand to the fullest. I know now that I'm wrong, I am the bad guy.

It's a weird feeling, really. To know that you were wrong after all this time, it somehow gave me a wave of relief. Maybe it's because that I always thought that you guys were just mindlessly bashing away each and every story that contains OCs. Now I know that you have a good reason to do so, and I feel pathetic and stupid at the same time.

I apologize for my words at that whining from chapter… which is it, I kinda forgot. But you know which. Truth be told, at that time, I was feeling like a God. "Oh hey, look, a negative review. Hah, people are saying that my story's great, so you must be wrong!"

And then I proceeded to whine.

Now I facepalm, knowing how wrong I was.

I kept saying 'differences of opinion', but I never really did respect others' opinion. I thought that I was always right. Now after reading those two PMs, my mind changed, drastically. Yep, it took THAT long for me to realize. Jesus Christ on a pogo stick, I'm just too dense when it comes to social interactions.

I really, REALLY, apologize for those who are offended. Really. I feel stupid. Very stupid for realizing this just now.

But I'd like to make one thing straight. Genki, I see that you are saying that this story started because of my homophobia. That, I can assure you, is not the case.

I believe I can speak on behalf of _most_ male OC writers here. We used male OCs, not because we hate yuri. It's more to the self-insert element. For my case, I have a crappy life. No friends, dropped out of high school, smokes 40 packs a month, etc. etc. You get the picture. So I'm a NEET, I have nothing to do, and my heart is far from happy. What to do? Well, I chose to insert myself to the fantasy world. Make a character similar to me, add a few traits that'll make him a Chuck Norris clone. And BAM! I'm happy as hell.

Well, it's still pathetic. But my point is, it's not homophobia that started this story. It's something less bad than homophobia, but yeah, still rageable.

And a message for male OC writers: Though I'm in no position to say this, please do not write your story based on your hate of yuri. Maybe a self-insert is okay, but I'll leave that to the community to decide.

And with this, I hope that we, as K-ON fans, will be able to live as one. To respect and understand each other, to shake hands and say 'How do you do?', to form a community with strong solidarity.

As for me, I've lost interest in anime these past few days. I'm going to move on, find something new, maybe learn some programming. But I will still write, though I don't know when I should begin a new story. Not a fanfiction, though.

Again, I'm sorry if this story offended you. But you guys knocked some sense into me, I've learned a very valuable lesson today. Thank you. I will remember this for the rest of my life.

So… this line below will mark the end of Story of my Life. It's been fun, everyone. I hope you guys stay well. With a last bow, I'll take my leave.


End file.
